Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

The Health and Social Care Committee and the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee have agreed to undertake joint work in relation to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB).

Background

The Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee has already undertaken work on governance issues in BCUHB during the Sixth Senedd, including taking detailed evidence from BCUHB in March 2022, correspondence with BCUHB and the Minister for Health and Social Services, and evidence from the North Wales Community Health Council in November 2022. The Committee had planned to review and revisit progress being made by BCUHB in autumn 2022, but postponed this work following the qualification of BCUHB’s accounts and subsequent further investigations.

The Minister for Health and Social Services announced in February 2023 that she was returning BCUHB to special measures.

Committee scrutiny

Aspects of the issues affecting BCUHB fall within the remits of both the Health and Social Care Committee and the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee.

In maintaining an active watching brief, the Committees have agreed:

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>>>    To work together jointly where possible and appropriate.

>>>    For their scrutiny to be proportionate, and focused and timed appropriately to add value rather than duplicate or conflict with other ongoing processes.

>>>    To strike a balance between legitimate scrutiny and recognising where things are working well.

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Activity to date

The Committees will keep their approach to scrutiny under review, and will update this page accordingly.

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>>>    The Committees wrote to the Minister for Health and Social Services on 19 April 2023 to seek information regarding the Intervention and Support Team, work and progress against objectives identified in the special measures regime, and the timescales for work to look at improving accountability and the revision and refresh of the intervention and escalation framework. The Minister responded on 10 May 2023.

>>>    The Committees wrote to the Minister for Health and Social Services on 07 July 2023 to seek further information and clarification.

>>>    The Committees wrote to the interim Chair of BCUHB on 07 July 2023 to seek further information and clarification.

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On 6 February 2024, the Minister for Health and Social Services wrote to PAPAC and the Health and Social Care Committee to provide an update on the oversight and escalation framework.