This Sunday, marks a decade since Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board was placed in special measures, an alarming milestone that underscores serious and ongoing concerns about leadership and governance.
Over the past 10 years, the situation has deteriorated significantly. In 2015,15% of patients waited more than four hours in A&E; today, that figure has more than doubled to 32%. Even more concerning, the number of people waiting more than two years to start treatment increasing from two to a staggering 5,747.
Janet Finch-Saunders, the Member of Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy, addressed the Senedd chamber to raise urgent concerns over the persistent failures of the Health Board. She called on the Cabinet Secretary to initiate a public inquiry into a decade-long crisis.
Commenting on Betsi Cadwaladr UHB being in special measures for 10 years Janet said:
“First and foremost, I want to express my sincere thanks to the dedicated nurses, consultants, cleaners and all healthcare professionals who work tirelessly to care for patients, often under incredibly challenging circumstances.
“That the Health Board remains in special measures after 10 years is completely unacceptable. My constituents, along with people across North Wales, are facing distressing delays in care. It is particularly alarming that patients with life threating illnesses such as cancer are having to wait over 6 months to begin treatment.
“Others are being deterred from attending hospital all together, knowing they may be left waiting, in once incident a chair for 2 to 3 days, just to be seen.
“This is a crisis that cannot be allowed to continue. That is why my Welsh Conservative colleagues and I are calling for a public inquiry into these significant failings to be undertaken.
“Jason Beer KC, the UK’s leading authority on public inquiries, argues that public inquiries address three key questions:
- What happened?
- Why did it happen and who is to blame?
- What can be done to prevent this happening again?
“To answer these three questions, inquiries start by collecting evidence, analysing documents and examining witness testimonies. They will often draw on experts, policy professionals, and victims and survivors’ testimony to help them form recommendations. It is that detailed, independent process, I have called for to address our serious public concern about the state of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.”
ENDS
Photo: Janet Finch-Saunders MS/AS
