BETSI TOLD: SORT IT OUT... OR ELSE
3 MONTHS TO IMPROVE VASCULAR SERVICE OR FACE ‘CONSEQUENCES’
AHEALTH board has been given three months to improve its vascular services after a review’s damning findings – or face “consequences”.
Health Minister Eluned Morgan MS has ordered Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to make progress.
It comes after the Royal College of Surgeons in England was invited to review the Welsh health board and found “serious deficiencies” in its vascular services.
Now the Welsh Health Minister has stepped in with a stark ultimatum although she doesn’t say what the consequences could be.
The health board said it shared Ms Morgan’s desire to “improve care”.
The Royal College of
Surgeons (RCS) of England had reviewed the case records of 44 patients under the care of vascular services in North Wales, which were centralised from Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor and Wrexham Maelor Hospital to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in April 2019.
The RCS found serious deficiencies in some patients’ care at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, including one patient given an unnecessary foot amputation, as a result of failings in vascular service provision.
Issues with documentation, record-keeping, consent-taking and communication between clinicians were also highlighted.
The first part of the RCS report, published last summer, made nine urgent recommendations and raised other issues, including too many patient transfers to the centralised hub, a lack of vascular beds and frequent delays in transfers.
The second part, published on February 3, focused on the clinical records of 44 patients dating from 2014 – five years before centralisation – to July 2021, two years after the hub at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd opened.
Now after talking to health bodies Ms Morgan is demanding improvements.
Ms Morgan (pictured) said last week: “I have decided to give a clear warning that if the recommendations from the Royal College Reviews are not sufficiently progressed within three months there will be consequences.
“The health board has responded swiftly to the second part of the RCS review and has taken a number of immediate actions including establishing links with Liverpool, setting up a Quality Panel which will be independently chaired and taking steps to strengthen clinical leadership locally.
“I have received a detailed action plan for immediate implementation and will be receiving monthly reports from the chair.
“I believe it is correct to allow the health board team some time to prove that these measures are making a difference.
“However, I have made it very plain to the health board that if I do not feel confident that their planned actions are being implemented or if I am not convinced the service is heading in the right direction within the next three months, then I will ask the tripartite to con- vene an additional meeting to consider advice on further escalation measures.”
Betsi Cadwaladr chairman Mark Polin said: “The health board invited the Royal College to undertake this review due to a number of concerns about the operation of the service.
“This was informed by feedback from patients and North Wales Community Health Council.
“Those concerns have been confirmed by the review and we are responding immediately.
“We fully accept the findings of parts one and two of the review and will continue to make improvements in the service.
“We intend to meet the Minister’s expectations and those of our communities.”
Darren Millar MS, Welsh Conservative and Shadow Minister for North Wales, said: “The failure of the Welsh Labour Government to deliver the improvements they have promised in healthcare for people across North Wales is a scandal.
“Today’s statement by the Health Minister amounts to an admission that the decision to withdraw special measures last year was political, and not based on evidence of significant improvement.
“The Welsh Government has shown itself to be hopelessly incapable of turning Betsi around.”
Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for health and social care, said: “Betsi Cadwaladr has an awfully long way to go to regain people’s trust.
“The recent report into vascular services is just one in a long line of damning reports, which highlight how premature it was to take the Board out of special measures, conveniently just before the last Senedd election.
“Surely it would make sense to put vascular services into special measures immediately, with targeted intervention to sort out this mess once and for all?”