Senedd rejects calls for Betsi Cadwaladr public inquiry
Gareth Davies led a Conservative debate calling for a public inquiry, with Sunday marking the unwelcome milestone of a decade in special measures for the north Wales health board.
Mr Davies, who worked for the NHS before his election in 2021, warned the health board remains mired in systemic failure, 'with no clear timeline for recovery'.
He said: 'A decade on, the Welsh Government has acknowledged that Betsi could languish in this state indefinitely. This is not just a failure of management, it's a failure of accountability, leadership and political will under Labour's stewardship.'
The Vale of Clwyd Senedd member argued a public inquiry is needed to uncover the root causes of the prolonged crisis and deliver justice for the people of north Wales.
'The evidence is damning,' he said. 'When combined, Betsi has spent longer in special measures than any other organisation in the history of the NHS.
'Political expediency saw the Welsh Government prematurely lift Betsi out of special measures – only for dire realities, safety breaches, patient harm and operational chaos to force its reinstatement back in 2023.'
Mr Davies told the Senedd only two people were waiting longer than two years for treatment in June 2015, compared with 5,747 today – 'a staggering 287,250 per cent increase'.
He told the chamber that a 2024 Audit Wales report on Betsi painted a grim picture of ongoing leadership instability and a lack of coherent, long-term planning.
Mabon ap Gwynfor, for Plaid Cymru, denounced a long story of 'chronic failure, executive dysfunction and organisational chaos that has bedevilled the north Wales health board.'
He pointed out that Betsi, which was established in 2009 with the merger of six local health boards, has been in special measures for two-thirds of its existence.
Labour's Carolyn Thomas and Lesley Griffiths argued Wales needs to start celebrating what is good about our health service, with many people receiving fantastic treatment.
Senedd members rejected the Tory motion, 33-13, with Labour and Plaid Cymru voting against. The Welsh Government's amended version was agreed, 24-23.
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