Health chief says ‘money won’t solve NHS problems’

Richard Evans, Local Democracy Reporter

The chairman of the north Wales health board believes a new £33m hospital development will ease pressure at A&E department, but insists money alone wouldn’t fix the NHS.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board chairman Dyfed Edwards said a revamped Royal Alexandra hospital would help improve reduce waiting times at sbyty Glan Clwyd’s A&E but a “mindset” change was needed.

The new purpose-built facility will include a minor injuries unit “capable of treating more than 20,000 people a year,” which the Welsh Government says will ease pressure on nearby Ysbyty Glan Clwyd’s emergency department.

A 14-bed ready-to-go-home reablement unit will also be part of the new build, providing “step-down care to help people return home following medical and surgical treatment”.

Radiology services will also be expanded in Rhyl and four new dental suites will improve access to NHS care while also increasing training opportunities for dental nurses.

But Mr Edwards said a mindset shift was needed, with people with lesser needs opting to visit Rhyl’s minor injuries unit when it opens in 2027 – as opposed to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.

He said: “This is going to make a big difference, we hope, to the health and well-being offer for local people in Rhyl and the surrounding area

“What has tended to happen, as you know, is that Ysbyty Glan Clwyd seems to be the default for everybody. Now this provision will mean that people can say, ‘I need to be seen, but actually it’s not an emergency. I can come here to the MIU.’ So people can be supported so they can go home and keep improving.”

He added: “I think we’ve got work to do so that people understand that you don’t have to go to the main general hospital for everything. There is a provision that caters to your needs here at the Royal Alex in Rhyl. So that will hopefully take some of the weight off Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.”

But after 10 years in special measures, numerous board members quitting, and the revelation that north Wales now has the highest proportion of preventable deaths in Wales, Mr Edwards said the board were addressing the issues but agreed the current state of the NHS was “not acceptable or what we want”.

Money won’t solve problems

When asked if the Welsh Government needed to invest more and how much, Mr Edwards said he didn’t believe that money would solve the many problems facing the health board.

He said: “It’s the whole NHS system, to be fair. I can tell you from personal family experience it is the same thing in England

“The NHS is under massive pressure, absolutely huge pressure. I think what we’ve got to do is try and sort out the pressure that the NHS can deal with and should be able to deal with, and then also ask ourselves:‘What can we do to help improve our own health and wellbeing?’ with support from community groups and third-sector groups. The future of the health service has got to be different than what it’s been in the past.”

The local democracy reporting service asked Mr Edwards how much money the health board needed to fix the issues.

He added: “I don’t think it’s about money. No, I don’t. Of course, capital investment like we are seeing today, that does mean money. It is a different way of working. It is a different partnership between the health service and the population. We’ve got to think about things differently.”