Janet Finch-Saunders, Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy, has spoken out about the fact that Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has failed several patients as part of the process of insourcing treatment pathways back into the Health Board’s ‘in house’ services.
The Health Board has been operating a number of initiatives to deliver additional activity as part of its actions to address waiting lists which have grown significantly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. This included contracting with external healthcare providers to provide clinical teams to attend Health Board sites and see patients. That is known as ‘insourcing’ arrangements.
Due to funding pressure, the Health Board made a decision to halt insourcing with effect from April 2023.
Responding to concerns raised by Mrs Finch-Saunders, Helen Stevens-Jones, Director of Partnerships, Engagement and Communication, stated:
“The decision has meant that patients who were under the care of one of the insourcing teams saw their treatment journey paused whilst the situation was assessed to establish whether there would be future opportunity to reinstate the insourcing activity.
“I regret that the process of filtering patients who were on insourcing treatment pathways back into the Health Board’s ‘in house’ services has proved to be much more complex and has taken much longer than was originally anticipated.”
Commenting on the Health Board making an active decision to pause patients’ treatment journeys, Janet said:
“This represents major patient failure by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
“It is absolutely disgraceful that patient pathways were paused whilst establishing if insourcing could be recommenced, and that there has been an added delay after deciding to bring all the individuals back in house.
“The work of Health Board clinicians reviewing medical notes of every patient who had been sent to the insourcing stream has, in the Health Board’s own words, taken a considerable time to complete.
“Ultimately, it was the Health Board who established the insourcing service, and the Health Board who oversaw its end. As far as I can see, they have made a total hash of brining the care of patients back in house, and left individuals languishing of waiting lists. It’s a disgrace!”
ENDS
Mae Janet Finch-Saunders, yr Aelod o’r Senedd dros Aberconwy, wedi siarad am y ffaith bod Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr wedi methu llawer o gleifion fel rhan o'r broses o fewnoli llwybrau triniaeth yn ôl i wasanaethau 'mewnol' y Bwrdd Iechyd.
Mae'r Bwrdd Iechyd wedi bod yn gweithredu nifer o fentrau i gyflawni gweithgarwch ychwanegol fel rhan o'i weithredoedd i fynd i'r afael â rhestrau aros sydd wedi tyfu'n sylweddol o ganlyniad i bandemig Covid-19. Roedd hyn yn cynnwys contractio darparwyr gofal iechyd allanol i ddarparu timau clinigol i fynychu safleoedd y Bwrdd Iechyd a gweld cleifion. Trefniadau 'mewnoli' yw’r term ar gyfer hyn, neu ‘insourcing’ yn Saesneg.
Yn sgil pwysau ariannol, penderfynodd y Bwrdd Iechyd roi'r gorau i fewnoli o fis Ebrill 2023.
Wrth ymateb i bryderon a godwyd gan Mrs Finch-Saunders, dywedodd Helen Stevens-Jones, Cyfarwyddwr Partneriaethau, Ymgysylltu a Chyfathrebu:
"Mae'r penderfyniad wedi golygu bod taith triniaeth rhai cleifion a oedd dan ofal un o'r timau a oedd wedi’u mewnoli yn cael ei hatal wrth i’r sefyllfa gael ei hasesu i bennu a fyddai cyfle yn y dyfodol i adfer y gweithgarwch mewnoli.
"Mae'n ddrwg gen i fod y broses o hidlo cleifion oedd ar lwybrau triniaeth wedi’u mewnoli yn ôl i wasanaethau 'mewnol' y Bwrdd Iechyd wedi profi’n llawer mwy cymhleth ac mae wedi cymryd llawer mwy o amser nag a ragwelwyd yn wreiddiol."
Wrth gyfeirio at y Bwrdd Iechyd yn gwneud penderfyniad gweithredol i atal teithiau triniaeth cleifion, dywedodd Janet:
"Mae hyn yn arwydd o gleifion yn profi methiant difrifol, diolch i Fwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr.
"Mae'n gwbl warthus bod llwybrau cleifion wedi eu hatal wrth bennu a ellir ail-ddechrau eu mewnoli, a bod oedi ychwanegol wedi digwydd ar ôl penderfynu dod â'r holl unigolion yn ôl yn fewnol.
"Mae gwaith clinigwyr y Bwrdd Iechyd o adolygu nodiadau meddygol pob claf a roddwyd ar y ffrwd mewnoli wedi cymryd cryn dipyn o amser i'w gwblhau, yng ngeiriau'r Bwrdd Iechyd ei hun.
"Yn y pen draw, y Bwrdd Iechyd a sefydlodd y gwasanaeth mewnoli, a'r Bwrdd Iechyd a oruchwyliodd ei ddiwedd. Mae’n amlwg eu bod wedi gwneud smonach lwyr o ddod â gofal cleifion yn ôl yn fewnol, ac wedi gadael unigolion ar restrau aros. Mae'n warthus!"
DIWEDD
