Betsi Cadwaladr: Health board struggles to find new boss

Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor is one of the hospitals administered by the health board

A troubled health board has failed to recruit a new chief executive, despite "an intensive search" and offering a salary of £225,000.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, covering north Wales, has had four leaders in the past four years.

The Welsh government put it back into special measures in February over patient safety concerns.

But management said a search for a new chief executive has so far proved unsuccessful.

The previous chief executive, Jo Whitehead, retired in autumn 2022.

• Health minister forced to correct Senedd comments

• Health board in special measures for second time

Concerns were raised in February 2023 about the way the Betsi Cadwaladr health board was being run.

A report by Audit Wales said that evidence "points to dysfunctionality and factions" within the senior executive team, and "the whole team is not united" around the then interim chief executive.

It highlighted "clear and deep-seated fractures within the executive team that are preventing that team from working effectively".

In response, Health Minister Eluned Morgan asked the non-executive directors on the health board to resign, and put the organisation into special measures.

She said at the time that appointing a new chief executive would be key to improving the performance of the NHS in north Wales.

"The new chair will lead the recruitment of an individual with necessary vision, leadership and drive to re-build the confidence of the workforce and the public," she said.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan said appointing a new chief executive will be key to improving the performance of the NHS in north Wales

In addition, a report by accountant EY said the health board wrongly accounted for millions of pounds, and that finance officials deliberately made incorrect entries into their own accounts.

Adverts for the chief executive job were published earlier this year, with a salary range of £208,000 to £225,000 per year, but the health board has now confirmed that nobod has been appointed.

'Critically important job'

Health board chairman Dyfed Edwards said: "Our campaign to recruit a new chief executive did not result in us making an appointment and a further intensive search will recommence in the coming months.

"This is a critically important job and it is vital that we appoint the right person to build the positive culture that will help to guide the organisation into a brighter future."

The current interim chief executive Carol Shillabeer was appointed in May 2023, and is on secondment from the Powys Teaching Health Board.

Mr Edwards added: "In the intervening period, I'm pleased that Carol Shillabeer will continue in the role of interim chief executive.

"Carol has extensive experience in chief executive and clinical leadership roles in NHS Wales and she is working hard with colleagues across the health board to ensure that we achieve a period of stability, while making progress in addressing some of our key challenges."

'Dysfunctional team'

Conservative Member of the Senedd (MS) Darren Millar, whose Clwyd West constituency is covered by the Betsi Cadwaladr health board, said: "Given the health board's reputation, it is not surprising that recruiting a new chief executive is proving to be a challenge.

"Not only will anyone taking the helm have a significant task in turning around the performance of the NHS in north Wales, but they will also be saddled with having to work with a dysfunctional executive team, most of whom should have been sacked a long time ago.

Darren Millar said most of the health board's "dysfunctional team" should have "been sacked years ago"

"The best way to attract a new chief executive is to clear out the current executive team so that an incoming CEO can appoint a team with the integrity and culture that people should rightly expect of senior managers working in our NHS," he said.

Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth, prior to becoming party leader on Friday, said: "The failure to recruit a new chief executive shows how bad the situation is at Betsi Cadwaladr.

"Plaid Cymru has been consistent in our calls that this is a health board that is too big and too unwieldy to adequately serve the people in the north of Wales. After a seemingly never-ending series of damning reports, that repeatedly flag up issues with leadership, re-organisation must now be looked at seriously.

"Welsh government has refused calls to look again at a new model for health services in the north, but perhaps now that it's clear Plan A isn't working, they will admit that there needs to be a Plan B."

The health board, which is the largest organisation in the Welsh NHS, says an interim chief executive will stay in post while a further search is made for a suitable candidate.