Health board approves £6.6m A&E staffing boost following critical inspection

Mark Mansfield

Wales’ largest health board has approved an extra £6.6 million to recruit permanent A&E staff days after inspectors raised serious concerns about care at one of its emergency departments.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said the funding would pay for additional permanent doctors, nurses and healthcare support workers across its emergency departments at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, Glan Clwyd Hospital and Wrexham Maelor Hospital, reducing its reliance on agency, bank and locum staff.

The investment comes a week after Healthcare Inspectorate Wales designated the Emergency Department at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd as a Service Requiring Significant Improvement following concerns about leadership, patient safety, overcrowding and governance.

Health board leaders said the additional staff would help improve patient care while providing a more stable workforce to cope with sustained demand.

The £6.6 million package comprises £2.7 million that had already been set aside pending completion of a business case, alongside a further £3.9 million approved by the board at its latest meeting.

Chief executive Carol Shillabeer said the investment would reduce reliance on temporary staff while improving the resilience of emergency departments.

She said: “This significant investment will reduce our current reliance on bank, locum and agency staff, ensuring that we have a stable, skilled and sufficiently resourced workforce in place to safely manage demand, provide more timely assessment and treatment, and deliver dignified care.

“Crucially, it will also help to improve the morale and wellbeing of our hard-working Emergency Department staff, who face high levels of fatigue and burnout as a result of the significant and sustained pressure they face on a daily basis.

“I want to pay tribute to their unwavering commitment to delivering the best possible care for our patients in incredibly challenging circumstances.”

Ms Shillabeer said the additional investment would not resolve all the challenges facing emergency care in north Wales, pointing to wider problems with patient flow and limited capacity across the health and social care system.

She said these remained the principal causes of prolonged waiting times, delayed ambulance handovers and overcrowding in emergency departments.

‘Urgent improvement’

Last week, Ms Shillabeer apologised to patients after HIW identified serious concerns at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd’s emergency department.

The inspectorate said it expected “clear and urgent improvement” after finding problems with leadership, governance, risk management and patient safety during an unannounced inspection.

The health board said the staffing investment formed part of a wider programme of improvements aimed at stabilising emergency departments while longer-term work continues to tackle pressures across the health and social care system.