MS questions decision to de-escalate health board

An MS who represents Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire has criticised a recent decision by the Welsh Government to de-escalate Hywel Dda Health Board’s status from level 4 to level 3 monitoring.

Last week, Jeremy Miles, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care announced that Hywel Dda Health Board will move from level 4 to level 3, partly as a result of improvements to mental health services.

However, the health board will remain at escalation level four for its emergency care performance and finance and planning.

First Minister’s Questions

Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for Mid and West Wales, raised his concerns during First Minister’s Questions in the Senedd today (25 March).

He also questioned the announcement by the health board last week that provision for non-emergency mental health cases would end temporarily in the north of Ceredigion.

On Friday, the health board announced that ‘non-urgent’ direct mental health referrals had been paused as staff shortages has put patients at risk.

Mr. Campbell MS said: “There is no doubt what the main issue facing electors in Mid and West Wales is – my inbox is full, every week, with messages from people on waiting lists for all kinds of conditions.

“A large number of these e-mails contradict the good news story that your government is trying to tell. These are the people that must face the board’s failures every day.

“Of course, this is only a microcosm of the wider problem of sky-high waiting lists across Mid and West Wales, and indeed the rest of Wales, too.”

Stability

Announcing the de-escalation last week, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Miles said: “New leadership at Hywel Dda University Health Board has brought stability and direction to the board, and following these improvements, I am pleased to de-escalate the board to level three for leadership and governance.

“I want to thank all the staff working hard to improve their services and outcomes for the thousands of people they care for.

“While progress is encouraging, we will continue to monitor the performance and outcomes of the emergency departments and work closely with all the health boards to improve performance.”