Welsh Secretary calls for independent inquiry into health board

The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board was put into special measures earlier this year.
David TC Davies was speaking at the Conservative Party annual conference in Manchester (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
PA Wire
Ben Hatton1 October 2023
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Welsh Secretary David TC Davies has called for an independent inquiry into Wales’ biggest health board.

The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board was put into special measures earlier this year.

Speaking to the Conservative Party conference in Manchester on Sunday, Mr Davies said: “It’s absolutely vital that confidence in Welsh health boards is restored, which is why we call today on the Welsh Labour Government to launch an independent inquiry to uncover the many drastic failures (of) the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.”

The health board provides NHS services in North Wales.

The whole board was removed earlier this year, with Wales’ health and social services minister Eluned Morgan raising “serious concerns about performance, leadership and culture”.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “The Minister for Health and Social Services took the decision to place Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board into special measures in February this year, following serious concerns about governance, finance, performance and quality.

“Following this decision a number of reviews have been undertaken and a new leadership team including an interim chair, chief executive and independent members has been established.

“It is important to support this team to make the necessary changes to the organisation and improve the delivery of care to the people of north Wales. An inquiry would divert resources and attention away from this.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy notice .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in