North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has called for an oral Welsh Government Statement on the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Improvement Framework, highlighting the need for full and proper scrutiny of matters raised in the Health Minister’s Written Statement on the Framework last week.
Raising the matter in yesterday’s Business Statement, Mr Isherwood referred to three examples from senior clinicians within the Health Board, which he said “belie the (Written) Statement and require more thorough scrutiny in this Chamber”.
He said:
“We received a Written Statement last Thursday on the Framework, referring to a number of matters that merit full and comprehensive scrutiny within this Chamber, if not in full debate.
“It states, for example, that GP out-of-hours have been stepped down as special measures, and that the Minister will be interested to hear the views from the next tripartite meeting on progress with the delivery of quality sustainable mental health services. It refers to the development of the clinical services strategy, and also says progress has been made since the Recovery Director started in post, despite the u-turn by the Health Board, allegedly on the recommendation from him, regarding nurse rotas last week.
“During the summer, with a constituent, I met a Professor in the Health Board's Department of Psychiatry. He told me, 'Where we never had an out-of-area patient and had the lowest bed usage in the UK, we now have wards full of patients in England - at great cost. All substantive consultants have left and the service is populated by locum doctors, nurses and social workers, with a good deal of evidence that management prefer locums as they can be dismissed should they speak out of turn. Several of my patients have died, in part because of difficulties in getting them input. The rot extends down to basics. Several years ago, a doctor who referred and a patient who saw me in a clinic would within 48 hours have copies of my letter on the concerns dealt with. Now they are unlikely to have a copy of the letter 48 days later and patients are missing follow-up appointments as a result'.
“A Consultant Physician at one of the three General Hospitals asked to meet me. She had resigned after the Health Board allegedly failed to comply with their own procedures following vexatious complaints and bullying against her and another Hospital Consultant.
“I was copied into a letter from a senior GP, detailing their concerns regarding out-of-hours cover (at one of the three General Hospitals), stating, 'The situation I have witnessed over the weekends during this summer I would consider barely satisfactory, let alone safe for patients’. They concluded that they didn't want me to make that letter public, but they have received a response from the Health Board that they're happy to be made public because it was not confidential, and they said, 'In this response you will see that the times mentioned for waits in North Wales are an utter disgrace. Whilst the response was pleasant, I really cannot see that any real change will come about'.
“Three examples very recently from senior clinicians within that Health Board, which belie the Statement and require more thorough scrutiny in this Chamber. I hope the Welsh Government on this occasion respond in the affirmative.”
The Minister for Finance and Trefnydd, Rebecca Evans told Mr Isherwood she would “make sure that the Health Minister is aware of those concerns that you've put on the record this afternoon” and “will also make him aware of the request for the oral statement in relation to the Betsi Cadwaladr Improvement Framework”.
