First Minister quizzed on allegations of criminality in Welsh NHS

Emily Price

First Minister Eluned Morgan has been grilled in the Senedd about allegations of criminality in the Welsh NHS.

During questions to the First Minister on Tuesday (December 9), the Welsh Conservatives accused Baroness Morgan of brushing “corrupt behaviour” under the carpet.

The row was triggered following several stories by Nation.Cymru which revealed that a “well respected” NHS chief executive abruptly left his job after telling health secretary Jeremy Miles that he was being victimised for raising concerns about financial crime within the health service.

David Donegan was responsible for the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP), which delivers a wide range of professional, technical, and administrative services to NHS Wales working with wider public services, including the Welsh Government.

In a highly disturbing letter to Miles, Donegan claimed he and the Velindre University NHS Trust of which he was CEO were the victims of “collusion, bias and bullying”.

Speaking during Plenary, shadow health secretary James Evans called on Baroness Morgan to confirm whether a probe had been launched into the allegations.

The First Minister said that an investigation had taken place – but that no evidence of criminal activity was found.

Later during Plenary, leader of the Welsh Conservatives Darren Millar said the issue “stinks” adding that every time someone raises concerns about wrong doing in the NHS they end up “out of the job”.

He said: “We have seen this at Velindre – the chief executive forced out of his position after whistleblowing about potential criminality.

“The chair at the same NHS trust is no longer in her position. She wrote to the Welsh Government about governance concerns with a £14 million contract – she did not serve the full eight years the chairs usually do.

“And in north Wales you sacked executive board members at the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board after they uncovered evidence of false accounting, collusion with suppliers and the falsification of purchase orders.

“It absolutely stinks – do you really expect the public and the Members of this Senedd to believe that is no coincidence that a chief executive, a chair and a team of non-executives in two health boards have lost their positions after raising such concerns?”

Concerns

Baroness Morgan said that anyone with concerns about criminality within the NHS should contact the police – but that the Welsh Government and other appropriate authorities had looked at the allegations and found no evidence.

Millar hit back saying: “This is a serious matter, and I know you want to brush it under the carpet, like you do with all issues like this in the Welsh NHS.

“But let’s consider this – the organisation, which is accused of disregarding the rules and potential criminality and improper behaviour, is the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership.

“This is the very organisation which is supposed to prevent fraud in the Welsh NHS and provide expertise on governance to other health boards.

“It is responsible for spending hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money each and every year, and yet it appears that it cannot be trusted.

“Now, if we cannot trust that organisation and if your NHS chief executives cannot trust that organisation, who can they trust?”

Probe

Morgan said: “What the Welsh Government has done is we’ve investigated concerns relating to regulatory licensing.

“That was done in collaboration with the relevant regulators which confirmed that they had no concerns with the Shared Services Partnership.

“That assurance was shared with Velindre University NHS Trust as the host organisation in May 2025.

“Any issues relating to the employment of a chief executive is the responsibility of the board and the organisations.

“The Welsh Government has no involvement in the termination of the former chef executive’s employment.”

Grip

Millar claimed the First Minister didn’t have a grip on the organisation accused of potentially criminal behaviour.

He said: “I appreciate that you’re saying that you have advice that there’s been no criminality. Let’s see that advice, then put it into the public domain.

“Why don’t you share it with us, so that we can have this so-called transparency, which you are a massive fan of in the Welsh NHS and in these governance arrangements?”

The First Minister reiterated that an investigation had been carried out and that there was no criminal activity found.

She said: “If anyone has any additional information, then they should bring that forward. The Auditor General for Wales has acknowledged that concerns were raised by Velindre University NHS Trust’s former accounting officer and chief executive, and they’ve noted that the Welsh Government commissioned an independent review of the shared services partnership’s governance arrangements.

“He has confirmed that he’s going to await its outcome before deciding on any further action.”

Following FMQs, the Welsh Conservatives called for the police to investigate the matter.

Police

Darren Millar said: “The situation in the Welsh NHS stinks. We have recently learned that an NHS Chief Executive was forced out of his job after whistleblowing about potential criminality.

“We need an end to the cover ups and to see an end to this rotten regime. The Welsh Labour Government must come clean, stop brushing things under the carpet, and put legal advice and reports relating to this matter into the public domain.

“This is not the first time that people have been sacked after exposing potential criminality at the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership. The police must now investigate.”