Betsi Cadwaladr: North Wales NHS in special measures for five years

The Welsh Conservatives have accused ministers of failing to "get to grips" with health issues in north Wales.

Monday marks five years since Betsi Cadwaladr health board was placed in "special measures" - putting it under more direct Welsh Government control.

Paul Davies, leader of the Tories in the Senedd, said no health board "should be allowed to languish".

The Welsh Government said "steady progress" had been made since special measures were introduced.

Plaid Cymru called for the health board to be broken up.

On 8 June 2015, Betsi Cadwaladr became the first health board in Wales to be placed in special measures, the highest of three levels of intervention the Welsh Government can take.

The decision came after a report found "institutional abuse" at the Tawel Fan mental health ward at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Denbighshire, which closed in 2013.

• Q&A: Tawel Fan elderly care inquiries

• Almost 1,700 discharged in mental health 'error'

• Virus death figure probe after health board error

Speaking at the time of the announcement, Mark Drakeford, who was then the health minister, said the move to special measures reflected "serious and outstanding concerns" about the leadership at Betsi Cadwaladr health board.

The health board serving north Wales has been in special measures since 2015

What has happened in the last five years?

Since 2015, there has been ongoing anger over the Tawel Fan crisis, including numerous reviews and reports.

Recently, the health board apologised after almost 1,700 mental health patients were wrongly discharged from support services during the coronavirus pandemic.

The health board has had many other issues since being in special measures, including:

• An investigation that was launched after officials at Betsi failed to report daily Covid-19 death numbers for a month because of issues with its reporting system

• Ongoing concerns over the centralisation of specialist vascular services

• Criticism for hiring a consultant dubbed 'Marbella Man' at a cost of almost £2,000 a day

• Controversial plans to not pay nurses for their 30-minute breaks were scrapped

• Financial problems, with the board's projected deficit to the end of the 2020/21 financial year expected to be around £40m.

Two years ago, Health Minister Vaughan Gething said he was "exasperated" with the health board's lack of progress.

Speaking in February, the first minister said the Welsh Government was "disappointed" the health board "hasn't been able to make all the progress we wanted to see made this year".

What does the opposition say?

Paul Davies said ministers had failed to get a grip on the issues facing the health board

Mr Davies said: "No health board should be allowed to languish in special measures for any length of time - let alone five years.

"The Welsh Labour government has failed to get to grips with the issues in north Wales and last year the health minister said he would not set a timetable to get the health board out of special measures."

He said if he was to be elected first minister after the 2021 election, he would "order a swift but thorough review" into Betsi Cadwaladr on the first day in office.

He added that a "clear and comprehensive roadmap, with a timetable, of what needs to be achieved and by when, to get Betsi out of special measures" would then be published within a month.

Plaid Cymru health spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth said there were "inescapable and fundamental questions about whether things can be turned around".

"From serious mental health failings, to wasteful expenditure on external business consultants, under direct Welsh Government control, Betsi Cadwaladr health board has gone from one public problem to another."

He said he had no desire to pursue reorganisation "for its own sake" but there may be no option but to split the health board up and "start afresh".

The decision to put Betsi Cadwaldr in special measures followed a damning report about the Tawel Fan unit

What is the Welsh Government's response?

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "A wide range of good quality health services are provided every day across north Wales and steady progress has been made while the health board has been in special measures, especially in maternity services and out-of-hours care.

"Before the pandemic, it was our assessment that further progress was needed in leadership and governance, performance, financial management and mental health services.

"As we work with the health board to re-start normal activity alongside essential services, we will be working with the interim chief executive and the chair to realise the health board's longer-term transformation.

"We want the board to achieve sustainable and high-quality health and care services, which will enable the health board to step-down from special measures."