‘Health emergency’ declared after row over ‘watered-down’ motion

Richard Evans, Local Democracy Reporter

A “watered-down motion” declaring “a health emergency” in a north Wales county was voted through by councillors, but only after members were told to “hang their heads” in shame.

At the council meeting at Denbighshire’s Ruthin County Hall HQ, several councillors gave accounts of seriously ill patients lying on A&E department floors, without being given a pillow, with some being sent home to die.

Leader of the Conservatives Cllr Brian Jones had tabled the motion at the full council meeting yesterday (Tuesday), declaring a health emergency, due to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s long list of failings.

These included the health board, which remains in special measures, having “the highest number of preventable deaths recorded in Wales”, many of which,  were the “direct result of prolonged waits in North Wales A&E departments”.

The original motion called for all “planned closures of community hospitals to be halted”.

The motion suggested such facilities should be instead “repurposed to provide cost-effective step-down /rehabilitation care” for patients medically discharged from hospital but not ready to go home.

The paper also argued the case for 300 new community beds, the improvement of triage arrangements at A&E departments, and that the health board worked in a “timely fashion” with the council’s social services department on care assessment packages.

But cabinet members, including Labour’s lead member for social care, Cllr Elen Heaton, said the proposals weren’t within the council’s role and remit; instead, she said, these decisions lay with Welsh Government.

“They are not within the legal or operational powers of Denbighshire County Council,” she said.

This led to Labour amending the Conservative’s original motion, which was voted through 23-17 in favour.

The amendment said Denbighshire recognises the emergency “due to the pressures facing health care and social services” and that the council urges the Welsh Government “to continue to work proactively and at pace” in partnership with the health board.

But Conservative leader Cllr Brian Jones told the chamber councillors should hang their heads in shame, calling the vote “a whitewash” and accused members of “sweeping it under the carpet”.

‘Nodding dogs’

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Brian Jones called Labour councillors “nodding dogs” accusing them of going along with the Welsh Labour Government.

“The watered-down amendment that was put forward by the Labour Group was, in my opinion, an absolute disgrace to the residents of Denbighshire to deflect away from the seriousness of the situation in the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board at the moment and what has pervaded for a number of years now,” he said.

He added: “They should all hang their heads in shame. They are just a bunch of nodding dogs to the big brothers in south Wales.”

Labour leader Cllr Jason McLellan hit back at the Tory critcism: “I’m surprised at Cllr Jones, as we made it clear that we agreed with the sentiment of his motion and that the health board needs some emergency measures to make it fit for purpose. We are not hiding away from that,” he said.

“The Conservative motion was poorly worded, didn’t make sense, and called upon the council to take action it simply can’t legally do. Our amendment recognised that the emergency measures would be needed. It was realistic. It said we would engage with the health board to assist in bringing things back and getting the health board out of special measures and also called upon the Welsh Government to take urgent action.

“I felt the wording of the amendment addressed the issues that all the councillors agreed on in a much better way, and it had cross-party support.”

He added: “I was disappointed that the Conservatives voted against it.”

Inhumane

Conservative Rhuddlan councillor Ann Davis slammed the health board during the meeting.

“Any of you who walk into A&E in an evening can witness the inhumane (conditions) that are going on,” she said.

“We’ve got patients lying on the floor. We’ve got people with pneumonia sitting in a chair all night, people with a recent kidney transplant sitting in a chair for hours, going home the next day because there was no bed.”

Cllr Davis then told the chamber operations were being cancelled due to blocked beds.

She added: “We need to stand up for this, and it’s on anyone’s conscience if you don’t because people are dying unnecessarily. Now the gentleman who was sat there with pneumonia went home and died within an hour.”

Independent Ruthin councillor Bobby Feeley said members didn’t blame staff, who were doing their best within the circumstances.

She said: “One thing we can agree with is that BCU is a failing health board. It’s been failing, really, since it was set up in 2009.

“It’s had, in total, eight CEOs, including interims. It has been in special measures since 2015, and in 2023, it sacked all its independent board members. It covers 700,000 people across six local authorities. It is far too big, and it is the largest one in Wales. It is at the highest level of special measures.”

She added: “We need to tell (the) health board in no uncertain terms that they are failing and the Welsh Government. The Welsh Government need to get a grip, because this really is a failing health board, and it needs much more attention than it’s getting. The special measures aren’t working. They’ve been there for years.”

‘Dreadful conditions’

Non-aligned Rhyl South councillor Jeanette Chamberlain-Jones said she had worked at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd from the 1980s until 2005.

“I can speak now, I think, on behalf of the staff, being a frequent visitor to (Ysbyty) Glan Clwyd,” she said.

“And they are asking us, ‘Why we are not doing anything; Why aren’t you, as councillors, doing anything? Why are you letting us have to nurse in such dreadful conditions?’ That is what the staff are saying, and the surgeons, and the anaesthetists.”

“It is an emergency. People are dying. I’ve seen it with my own eyes only a few weeks ago. I’ve seen patients asking if they can have a pillow to lie on the floor, and they haven’t got any pillows. Everybody is scratching for a pillow. In this day and age, how can that be?”

She added: “Nobody is really doing anything because the management don’t want to know. They don’t listen to the staff or anybody, but the staff, the nurses, everybody, are asking, ‘Where’s the council? Why aren’t they helping us?’”

Commenting, James Evans MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care said: “I welcome the strong message sent by Denbighshire County Council to the Welsh Government, despite Labour’s attempts to water down the Welsh Conservative motion.

“We must declare a Wales-wide health emergency to ensure that the resources and efforts of government are focussed on cutting excessive waits for treatment.

“Unlike Labour, Plaid and Reform, the Welsh Conservatives have a plan to fix our NHS, increase the number of hospital beds, support the social care sector and to recruit more NHS staff, instead of creating 36 more politicians in the Senedd.”