3. Will the Minister make a statement on psychological therapies in north Wales? OAQ55073

The health board recently commissioned an independent review of its psychological therapies provision as part of its own improvement programme. The review findings highlighted examples of positive practice but also made a number of recommendations for urgent improvement, which I expect to be implemented as a matter of priority.  

Thank you for that response, Minister. As you will know, I've been greatly concerned to read the conclusions in that report, and I've read it from cover to cover. It talks about serious unwarranted variation in the provision, access, practice and culture amongst the delivery of psychological therapies in north Wales. Unacceptably long waits in some areas; pathways that are under-resourced and not fit for purpose; an enormous data deficit; and, amongst staff, a sense of despondency and helplessness as to how the organisation might lift itself into a better place.

That, to me, makes pretty terrible reading for an organisation's psychological therapies, when we consider that the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has been in special measures for almost five years. We were told when it was placed in special measures that there would be a sense of urgency in terms of improving mental health services for patients in north Wales, and I know that that's an ambition that you and I both share. The self-evaluation reports that are produced by the health board, and then reported through its governance processes, including to the Welsh Government, are completely at odds with the findings of the psychological therapies review.

I want to know what action you will now take as Minister to make sure that the governance systems in the health board are fit for purpose; that when reports like this are commissioned they are absolutely shared in a timely manner with the Welsh Government, with Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, and the Wales Audit Office given the advice that they provide to you about special measures; and I want to know what assurances you can give to the people of north Wales that these issues will be remedied very quickly, and that we won't be here in another five years looking at a similar report again.

I'm happy to confirm something of a timeline that may provide some assurance and information for people who are concerned. So, the health board started to undertake the review from January last year. The report was received in September/October. It was due to go to the mental health partnership board in September/October, but that was then pulled as a result of there being apologies when people weren't able to attend the meeting. It did then go to that partnership board meeting in November last year. And after a verbal update provided to the board's quality and safety meeting, it's then gone to a formal discussion at the meeting at the end of January, where independent members commented upon the report and they put in place the range of measures to implement recommendations.

The oversight and the terms of reference for the task and finish group that will look through that will be openly discussed and endorsed and reported back, for oversight, to the quality and safety committee. So, it is going through the board process. Indeed, the report and the response to recommendations will go through the final board reporting mechanisms in March of this year, I understand. So, it is being openly dealt with. There is no challenge to people seeing the report and it being shared, and of course the response of the health board as well.

And in terms of the governance questions the Member raises, we know that both Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and indeed the Wales Audit Office regularly report on their views on governance structures within the health board and whether they are working effectively. I don't think this particular challenge—and it's a challenge that the health board themselves have uncovered, in terms of asking for the review and dealing with it—is a fair way to try to describe the whole picture on mental health services in north Wales. That rounded picture is provided by a range of evidence, and I will get the advice that I do usually receive from Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, the Wales Audit Office, and indeed my officials, in the normal way, and I look forward to reporting back on that in the Chamber on a number of occasions in the future.