Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) is making progress under special measures but remains under the highest level of support.

A progress report reflecting on two years since BCUHB was put into special measures reveals progress in a range of areas, but challenges remain, especially in relation to planned care performance and timely access to urgent and emergency care.

Signs of improvement include the number of people waiting more than two years for orthopaedic treatment falling by two-thirds since February 2023, mental health performance for adults and young people improvement, the health board has the highest number of consultations carried out under the pharmacist independent prescribing service in Wales and new NHS dental contracts worth more than £5m have been agreed.

A series of new services have been developed. The new North Wales Medical School has opened, the community audiology van is the first of its kind in Wales, Ysbyty Glan Clwyd has been chosen as one of eight sites to take part in a new STEPS II Parkinson’s trial, surgeons in Abergele Hospital trialling augmented reality technology for knee surgery and Ysbyty Gwynedd’s emergency department ranked best place to train in Wales.

Health Secretary Jeremy Miles commended the staff’s “commitment and determination to make meaningful improvements to health services”.

“I have seen first-hand examples of the excellent work taking place, but we know there is more to do to improve the experience of staff, patients and their families.

“We will continue to support the health board to improve and provide excellent care for North Wales.”

But Mabon ap Gwynfor said Welsh Government’s October 2024 priorities report outlined their “expectations for improvements to be made over the next 6 months” including the prioritisation of reducing 52-week waits at first outpatient stage month-on-month, improving ambulance handover performance and ensuring that more patients would be seen within the national 4 and 12-hour emergency department waiting time targets.

BCUHB data shows waits of over 52 weeks rose, hours lost due to delays in ambulance handovers increased, and fewer patients were seen within the national 4 and 12-hour emergency department waiting time targets, compared to the start of this six-month period.

Mr ap Gwynfor said: “Six months on, one year waits at Betsi have increased by over 2,300, the number of hours lost due to ambulance handover delays have increased by almost 2,000 and fewer patients are waiting less than the 4- and 12-hour performance targets at emergency departments.

“Welsh Government has not only failed to translate its ambitions into tangible progress, they have actually overseen a further deterioration in the quality of NHS services in North Wales from an already very low base.

“This typifies the broader inescapable reality that, despite the considerable turnover in ministerial personnel and hundreds of millions of pounds thrown at sticking plaster solutions, Labour's record of mismanaging our precious health service is constant.

“When it comes to the performance of the health service, Labour in Wales only knows how to deal in the currency of failure.”