The self-proclaimed party of the NHS really, really doesn't seem up to the job. Even using the excuse that it takes a while to turn around a health system once it's in special measures doesn't cut it, since Labour have been governing Wales for two decades now, and Betsi Cadwaladr got into its current state on their watch. Blaming Westminster is also tenuous at best, as Labour make a great play of wanting matters devolved to this place so that the Welsh Government can run them—all the recent argument over a potential Brexit power grab, and here we have an example of how this Government fails when it is given control of one of the most important public services. 

Labour keep saying that more should be devolved, but then, when they're shown up as not competent to run a service, as in the case of Betsi Cadwaladr, they try to find a way to blame Westminster. Well, this is the Welsh Government's fault, fair and square. The Government has been banging on about all the things that it is going to do to try and improve the Betsi Cadwaladr university health board, and unsurprisingly silent on the things it isn't doing.

Nowhere has Labour suggested making the members of the health boards more accountable. UKIP campaigned for elected health boards so that they would be accountable to the people of Wales. Accountability—this is on a single issue and can't be fudged, which is probably why Labour argued against this progressive idea. Whilst it is obvious that the Labour Government doesn't have the will to get rid of incompetence, I'm absolutely confident that the Welsh public do have the will, and elected health boards will enable that to happen. 

Nothing the Government has done is working, so why should we continue to let them try? The waiting lists aren't just statistics. They represent the pain and suffering of the people on those waiting lists and the stress imposed on patients, their family and front-line staff. The waiting lists are getting worse, staff morale is going down, health outcomes are taking a hit, but none of the health board have been given their marching orders and none of the mega-salaried NHS managers have been sacked. 

And there is the impact that is far wider-reaching than the health concerns of the patient. Front-line staff must be feeling incredible pressure, having to work even harder than our dedicated NHS staff already do to make up for the incompetence of senior managers in Welsh Government. Labour are also the self-proclaimed party of the workers. Are they happy with the pressure they're putting these public sector workers under? This is about a lot more than a public sector pay freeze. This is about valuing staff and their welfare. Labour also try to say that they're the party of equality, but where is the equality for those whose accident of postcode means they have to wait far longer for treatment than another Welsh or UK citizen?

Betsi Cadwaladr's problems are themselves symptoms—symptoms of a Government that doesn't seem to have the will to do what any other responsible manager would do and sack those big-salaried executives at Betsi Cadwaladr who are responsible for the mismanagement of the health service in north Wales. The Government-led failings at Betsi Cadwaladr show that Labour are not the party for the NHS, not defenders of front-line staff, and do nothing to reduce inequality in health outcomes except to impose the same mismanaged system on everyone reliant on the NHS in north Wales. I believe previous calls for a full public inquiry have been made, and I think they have a lot of merit. If that was to be proposed, I would be prepared to support it. The Welsh NHS is ill, and, unfortunately for the people of Wales, the waiting list for treatment, for when this Government in Cardiff can be replaced, is three years. Thank you.