June 30, 2026 - 282 views
The Welsh Government has launched its strongest intervention yet at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, warning it is the organisation’s “final chance” to deliver the standard of healthcare people across North Wales deserve.
Health and Care Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor announced the move after concluding that years of external support and self-led recovery have failed to bring about the pace of improvement needed at Wales’ largest health board.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which serves around 700,000 people across Gwynedd, Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham, has been under some form of Welsh Government escalation for 11 years. It has remained in special measures - the highest level of intervention - since February 2023, following an earlier period in special measures between 2015 and 2020.
The health board has faced persistent concerns over patient safety, leadership, governance, organisational culture and long waiting times. On many key NHS performance measures it remains the poorest-performing health board in Wales, with around two-thirds of all patients in Wales waiting more than two years for planned treatment living in North Wales.
As part of the new intervention, the Welsh Government will take a much more direct role in overseeing improvement. An independent expert panel will carry out a comprehensive review of the health board, examining operational performance, quality of care, patient safety, leadership, governance, board capability and strategic direction.
The panel will produce evidence-based recommendations for the Cabinet Secretary, with a final report expected by the end of October.
In addition, NHS Wales Performance and Improvement (NHSWPI) has been tasked with supporting the health board to improve planned care, diagnostics and cancer services, while a specialist Urgent and Emergency Care Improvement Team will be established to help tackle pressures facing emergency departments.
The intervention follows continued concerns over emergency care at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, where Healthcare Inspectorate Wales recently designated the emergency department as a “service requiring significant improvement” – its highest level of concern – less than two years after it had previously been removed from that status.
Announcing the measures, Mabon ap Gwynfor said people across North Wales were waiting far too long for treatment.
“People in North Wales are waiting too long to be able to access the care and treatment they need. This is not a reality the public should be asked to accept, and it is not one this Government will accept either,” he said.
“This is the Board’s final chance to demonstrate they can deliver the consistent high standards of care that the people of North Wales deserve.”
Addressing the Senedd, the minister said he was “sick and tired” of Betsi Cadwaladr becoming “a byword for dysfunction and declining standards” and warned there would be “no second chances” for those in leadership positions if sufficient progress is not made.
He stressed the intervention represented a clear break from previous approaches.
“We are not simply asking the organisation to improve; we are directing them on how that improvement happens. That means setting clear expectations, providing targeted expertise, and maintaining close and continuous oversight of delivery.”
Responding to the announcement, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Chair Dyfed Edwards said the organisation welcomed the additional support.
He said the board remained committed to delivering safe, high-quality care for patients across North Wales and would work closely with Welsh Government and NHS Wales Performance and Improvement to deliver the changes needed.
The coming months are expected to be crucial for the future of the health board, with ministers making clear that significant and sustained improvements must now be delivered after more than a decade of repeated concerns over the quality and consistency of healthcare services in North Wales.
