HEALTH BOARD CHIEF ALSO PLEDGES BRAND NEW OPERATING THEATRES

EXTRA consultants and brand new operating theatres have been approved for North Wales in a bid to cut joint replacement waiting lists.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board chief executive Gary Doherty announced the move.

Six new orthopaedic consultants will be engaged and new theatres will be built, with architects currently being consulted for the new-build schemes.

Welsh Government funding will underpin the extension of services although the plans

have only just been approved, so details on the exact location and numbers of theatres have not been revealed.

A Betsi Cadwaladr spokeswoman confirmed that capacity would increase across all three health board areas.

Mr Doherty, speaking to our sister paper the Daily Post, announced the new development as he responded to a charge the Welsh Government had dragged its feet approving the project, submitted by the board around two years ago.

He said the health authority could do more in the community to prevent some orthopaedic problems but it was right that those holding the NHS purse strings in Cardiff should scrutinise spending plans it had submitted – and he wasn’t frustrated by the delay.

“We’ve been through the case and we are now going out to recruit six extra orthopaedic consultants. We are getting the architects in to build the extra theatres,” he said.

With Betsi’s board having been under special measures for more than four years the pressure is on to find ways of reducing waiting lists, which have increased rather than reduced since the Welsh Government imposed.

More than 27,000 people have been waiting at least 12 months longer than they should have for follow-up appointments.

Orthopaedics is one of the disciplines where overall waiting times to start treatment have decreased.

However those waiting for six months or more have risen 38% since special measures was imposed. Many of these are routine hip and knee joint replacements.

Mr Doherty said the process of getting the approval for more orthopaedic capacity will help intervention was Pic: DAVID POWELL the board deal more speedily with the Welsh Government as it bids to reform other services in the future.

He said: “In an ideal world I would like everything to move more quickly. I’d like that to have moved more quickly but your question was am I frustrated – and the answer to that is no.

“I do think that orthopaedic experience when looking at other pathways – that’s going to stand us in good stead now.

“I do appreciate people want to see quicker progress and I accept that.

“It’s a fair criticism.”