Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, for the opportunity to respond to this debate and to place on my record my recognition of the commitment of Betsi Cadwaladr health board to continue to improve mental health services. I'd like to acknowledge the dedication of the staff on the ground in north Wales, who work hard to deliver high-quality and compassionate care for patients who need mental health support. 

Members will recall that we debated this subject on 29 September, before the legal process around the freedom of information request for the full Holden report was completed. It was also the subject of a number of questions to the First Minister in recent weeks, following the release of the full report by the health board. But here we are again, debating a motion that seeks to apportion blame for events from eight years ago and does little to acknowledge that, whilst there is no doubt that significant challenges remain, the health board has taken steps to address the issues highlighted in the Holden report and, indeed, other failings in their mental health services.

On Holden itself, it is important to remember that the summary report that was published by the health board in 2015 included all of the recommendations made by Robin Holden. The health board took action at that time to address the issues raised, and commissioned work to ensure that the Holden recommendations had been implemented. This piece of work was reported to the health board’s quality, safety and experience committee in January this year, and is publicly available. This provided assurance that action was taken against each of the recommendations in the report. The chief executive has acknowledged that certain issues, including having older people with functional mental illness cared for in the same environment as acute adult mental health, have proved complex to resolve due to the design and layout of the Hergest unit and the staffing resources involved. This does not mean these issues are not being addressed. The needs of each patient are considered, and they are managed according to need. We are working with the health board around options for a longer term solution.