Psychological Therapies

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:47 pm on 12 February 2020.

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Photo of Darren Millar Darren Millar Conservative 2:47, 12 February 2020

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.