March 21, 2024 - 543 views
The new First Minister Vaughan Gethin has been challenged to explain why so many preventable deaths took place within Betsi Cadwaladr health board after it had been taken out of special measures on his watch.
The "extraordinary level" of preventable deaths in Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board has been highlighted in a statement by Plaid Cymru’s North Wales MS Llyr Gruffydd.
Mr Gruffydd said the latest statistics published by current health minister Eluned Morgan demonstrated that more than half the preventable deaths in Wales took place in the BCUHB area – one of seven health boards in Wales with just 20% of the population.
Coroners publish Prevention of Future Deaths reports in specific circumstances – BCUHB made up 27 out of 47 of the preventable deaths reports in Wales.
The statement makes specific reference to the number of reports issued in North Wales since January 2023, “all but three relate to deaths that occurred before the escalation to special measures, including one death which occurred in 2016”.
Mr Gruffydd said: “The level of preventable deaths is concerning enough for coroners to flag it up. It’s vital we understand why these deaths happened and what we can do to prevent them in future.
“But perhaps unwittingly, the health minister has revealed how bad the situation was within Betsi Cadwaladr health board in the period leading up to escalation back into special measures. All but three of those deaths took place during the brief period when the health board had been taken out of special measures by Vaughan Gething, the then health minister and now First Minister.
“The health board was taken out of special measures in early 2021 – just months before the Welsh general election – at a time when it was far from clear that there was evidence to back such a move. This latest information confirms the suspicion we had then that this was a politically motivated move to save Labour’s blushed pre-election. The fact that it was swiftly moved back into special measures in February 2023 confirms that suspicion.”
