6. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Escalation and further intervention to improve the quality of services in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:12 pm on 28 February 2023.

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Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 4:12, 28 February 2023

Thanks very much. Well, I think it's really important that people understand that this is a first step and there will be more steps that follow this, so I'll just repeat some of the points that I made earlier to Darren. But I think it's important that people understand that I have the power to dismiss the board; I do not have the power to dismiss executives. They have rights; they have employment rights. I do not employ them; I cannot dismiss them. That is the reality of the situation. So, I'm not sure what exactly you want me to do. Do you want me to directly employ all 105,000 people who work—[Interruption.] No, I do not have the powers, even under special measures, to sack people who work directly for the health boards. [Interruption.] No, I don't, and I think it's really important that people understand that I do not have those powers, which is why one of the reasons—[Interruption.] One of the reasons I want to look at the accountability mechanisms is because I don't have the levers that I think that I require to make the kind of interventions that I think are necessary. So, that is something that I will be looking at and already I've approached a few people to help me in that task.

Now, just in terms of this letter to the chair. So, the chair of Betsi forwarded an e-mail on 1 September, and it was an e-mail from the chair himself to the then chief executive, Jo Whitehead, and it was marked 'for your information'. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't answer all of the e-mails that I get 'for your information'. And the director general, as a result of that, arranged to meet—despite the fact it was 'for your information'—followed up and arranged to meet with the chair on his return from leave on 21 September. No formal correspondence has been received from the board by the director general. I think it's really important that people understand that. And Plaid's answer to everything is reorganisation, new structures, more managers—that's what we need: more managers. I want more front-line people. Trying to get rid—. [Interruption.] You will be getting more managers if you restructure, I can tell you. That is the consequence of restructuring. So, I want to focus on the front line. I want to focus on getting through those waiting lists. I want to get those cancer referral times down. I want to make sure that people in north Wales can get the service they require, and I don't think that a massively distracting reorganisation is going to help in that task.