It will take a long time to fix issues and culture in Wales' largest health board, according to the Welsh Government. Health minister Eluned Morgan has said that the Welsh Government is "holding the hands" of decision makers in Betsi Cadwaldr after a series of reports and scandals have laid bare the serious issues within the health board.
A damning report into Wales’ largest health board has found that senior members of the finance team deliberately misrepresented the organisation's accounts. The report, carried out by accountancy firm Ernst Young (EY), found there was systemic cultural failings in the finance team at Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board and that the poor practices were widely known within senior leaders of the health board. You can see the full details of the report here.
Read more: Rishi Sunak says he supports a criminal investigation over wrongdoing at Welsh health board
Rishi Sunak has said he hopes there will be a further police investigation into the issues within the health board which has been in special measures since 2015 (though was briefly and controversially brought out of special measures before the last Senedd election).
Ms Morgan was questioned by WalesOnline during the Welsh Government's press conference on Tuesday, June 6 and asked when the people of North Wales could expect a health board that is up to scratch.
"I think we've got to be clear, this is not going to be a short term fix," she said. "This is going to take a while, we need to make sure that the people who work for the health board, understand the changes that need to be made, we do need to think about a new culture in the health board, we need to make sure that performance measures are improved.
"So our team here in Welsh Government are trying to hold the hands of the people who are responsible for delivering for the people of North Wales - that is the health board themselves. We do not directly, as a Welsh Government, provide health services. It is the health boards that deliver those services. So we've now put in new independent members to change the way that the the top of the organization works."
It is understood that Ms Morgan made a surprise visit to the health board area in November and was "furious" at the situation she found there.
Speaking in the press conference she added that she felt there had been "change" within the organisation. She said: "My understanding is that there's been a real change in terms of tone and relationships, the top of the organization, but that now needs to filter through to the rest of the organization. There's a lot of work to be done in Betsi Cadwallader, and this is not going to be something that we're going to be able to turn around overnight."
Health is devolved meaning that the Welsh Government is responsible for the NHS is Wales. The Secretary of State for Wales, who is part of the UK Government, has called on the full report into the mismanagement of Betsi to be published. David TC Davies said: "People in Wales are seriously concerned by a recent report that discovered mismanagement in the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. So far, the Labour-run Welsh Government has refused our calls to publish the report. They need to publish it in full today."
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