6. Will the Minister make a statement on the provision of mental health services in North Wales? OQ56153

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is responsible for ensuring service provision meets the needs of the local community, including for mental health. Health boards set out their plans for quarter 3 and 4 in the operational framework. 

Well, there are grave concerns as to whether mental health services in Betsi Cadwaladr should have been taken out of special measures because of the ongoing weaknesses within the service. In a recent report to the health board, the interim nursing director listed a number of weaknesses within the service. The report concluded that at the moment it couldn't give a full assurance to the board on the quality of the service provided. So, if he can't provide assurances on the service, how can you?

Thank you. I think it's worth saying that just because the board is no longer in special measures and that we, as a Government, aren't directly responsible, it doesn't mean that we have stepped back entirely. The targeted intervention policy that's in place at the moment is still a measure that requires intervention. It ensures that we look in detail at what's happening.

In addition to that, before we came to that point, and it's worth saying that it wasn't us who made the decision—we made the decision having heard what experts had to say—there was an additional £12 million provided directly to assist with mental health issues within Betsi Cadwaladr, because we were aware that there's a great deal of work still to be done in north Wales. I do know that the I CAN hubs have been effective, and we will be looking at how they operate in the future.