Speaking in yesterday morning’s Health Questions in the House of Commons, Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies raised the substandard waiting times in A&E departments in North Wales.
Figures for December 2019 show that troubled Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board – which has been in special measures since June 2015 – is the worst-performing health board in Wales with just 66.8 percent of patients being seen within the critical four-hour period.
Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan saw 52.5 per cent of patients within the four-hour target, while at Wrexham Maelor hospital only 52.2 per cent were seen within the target time.
Speaking in the Chamber on Tuesday, James, who has worked in the NHS for 16 years, expressed his concern regarding the long delays and asked what dialogue the Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock MP, is having with the Welsh Government, given that Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has been under their direct-control since being placed in Special Measures in 2015.
He said:
“In December, more than 2,200 patients waited in excess of 12 hours in A&E departments in North Wales. What is the Secretary of State’s response to the Welsh Government, who have managed the health board in special measures for nearly five years?”
In his response, the Secretary of State for Health said he is also concerned about the NHS in Wales, describing it as “an advert for why people should not want the Labour Party running the NHS”.
This morning, all seven Conservative MPs for North Wales, met with the Secretary of State for Health to highlight resident’s deep concerns about the performance of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and Labour Welsh Government’s handling of healthcare.
They will all be meeting with the Health Board in early February to seek assurances that the right leadership is in place to turn around the poor performance and that funding provided by the Conservative UK Government for health is being used appropriately.
