Part of 2. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport – in the Senedd at 2:45 pm on 9 November 2016.
Thank you for the question. Obviously, I’ll be providing more detail in response to the urgent question after this that the Presiding Officer has accepted. The particular issue that you raised is incredibly disappointing, not simply from the point of view of someone who has received care that was not adequate, but also because, actually, Betsi Cadwaladr is a high-performing health board when it comes to providing cancer treatment. So, this case really does stand out, and not in a way that does credit to the health service. But I’m pleased that the chief executive has indicated he would apologise directly to the family, and I’m pleased he recognised issues in 2014, and I also expect not just the points about the care provider but the complaint handler to be dealt with as well. And obviously, I’m deeply disappointed that a citizen who came to the health service with real need has not been treated in a way in which any of us would expect or want to be. So, there are real points of improvement, but in the areas of cancer care, I think there can be some confidence that Betsi Cadwaladr has been a high-performing health board in the past, and we can expect it to be in the future. I expect the new medical director would obviously input into that as well.