4. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services: Update on Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:34 pm on 5 June 2018.

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Photo of Michelle Brown Michelle Brown UKIP 4:34, 5 June 2018

Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary, and for the progress update that you've just given to us. There doesn't seem to have been a great deal of progress. I see that the waiting list for planned care has reduced by 45 per cent in a relatively short space of time, and that's a really good headline figure. But let's put it into context, shall we? The reduction that the Cabinet Secretary is referring to is from just under 10,500 people waiting to just over 5,500. Of course, that's a big improvement, and I do commend the hard-working staff who have delivered that achievement, but it still means that nearly 6,000 people are waiting for more than nine months for planned care, and that's a terrible statistic, particularly when you put it against the other statistics that are coming out of Betsi Cadwaladr, such as that the orthopaedic waiting list has increased by 16 per cent over the last year, against a backdrop of a 5,000 per cent historic increase in that waiting list. And we can't forget, and we shouldn't forget, the 1,000 plus children and young people who are currently waiting between 12 and 18 months for a neurodevelopmental assessment, which is going to impact on their educational attainment.

So, you know, while the—. The Cabinet Secretary says there have been improvements in various things, including the management of complaints, clinical oversight, and developing and delivering the mental health strategy, so I would ask the Cabinet Secretary to quantify those improvements for the Members here today and for people in north Wales. It's all very well saying in your statement that there have been improvements, but can we have some figures? And can we have actually some detail on that, please?

The Cabinet Secretary has detailed the large sums of money spent on Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in particular, on the buildings and facilities there, but I remember that when Ysbyty Glan Clwyd was originally built it was considered by locals to be too large for the area. We were all a little bit suspicious of how big it actually was. But it's now clear that Betsi Cadwaladr, who are the people who have been responsible for that hospital over the years, haven't extended the facilities there to cater for an increased population. So, does the Cabinet Secretary agree with me that the vast amounts of money that he's having to spend on Ysbyty Glan Clwyd now are the result of successive Governments sticking their heads in the sand and failing to ensure that the facilities there kept pace with the likely population? What analysis has the Cabinet Secretary done to ensure that the money spent so far on Betsi is bringing real benefits rather than just assuming that there's a causal link between improvements and spend?

The Cabinet Secretary points out that a significant cultural change is required. I take your point there, but can you actually tell us what sort of cultural change is required, and what's currently wrong with the culture at Betsi Cadwaladr at the moment? And what measures are you putting in place to achieve that cultural change?

I totally agree with the Cabinet Secretary that the commitment and dedication shown by front-line staff at Betsi Cadwaladr is truly, truly impressive. These front-line staff go into this work to make a difference and to deliver, as you say, quality and compassionate care. But it must be truly, truly soul destroying to have institutional challenges thwart their efforts to do that, and it goes some way to explaining the levels of stress-related absence reported at Betsi Cadwaladr. So, given the number of staff going off sick with stress, what support can you tell us about, Cabinet Secretary, that there is in place, provided by Betsi Cadwaladr, to support front-line staff who are suffering from workplace stress?

I'd also be interested to hear what expectations you're going to place on the Betsi Cadwaladr board members, and, in particular, how are you actually going to incentivise that board to deliver on those improvements? Are they going to be at risk of possibly being removed from the board if the board doesn't perform properly? Are heads ever going to roll at Betsi Cadwaladr?

And then, turning finally to the anniversary of Betsi Cadwaladr going into special measures, you've had control of that health board now for three years. What lessons have you actually learned? Thank you.