Government’s Betsi proposal “like re-arranging deckchairs on a sinking ship”

Adam Price MS accuses Welsh Government of “catastrophic mismanagement” of healthcare

The Leader of Plaid Cymru, Adam Price MS, has accused Welsh Government of “catastrophic mismanagement” of the healthcare system in Wales.

Speaking in Questions to the First Minister, Mr Price challenged the decision to take Betsi Cadwaladr out of special measures in November 2020, calling the move “reckless” and “demonstrating a lack of judgment and leadership” given the “damning” reports that have since been published about the health board.

Mr Price cited a recent report by the Kings Fund which observed deteriorating executive behaviour in the winter of 2020, when the decision was taken by Welsh Government to take the health board out of special measures.

Leader of Plaid Cymru Adam Price MS said,

“The decision to take Betsi out of special measures two years ago was a blatant attempt to pull the wool over people’s eyes, to give the impression that Welsh Government had guided the health board through significant reform, that they’d done their job.

“It’s clear that with the swift return of the health board back into special measures that this move was premature, it’s been proved to have been reckless, and it demonstrated a lack of judgment and leadership.

“But the mis-handling of Betsi Cadwaladr is part of a wider pattern of a catastrophic mismanagement on the part of the Labour Welsh Government of healthcare. After 25 years of responsibility for delivering healthcare in Wales, it’s clear they have simply run out of ideas.

“Rather than throwing money at short-term, sticking-plaster solutions, with ever diminishing returns, Welsh Government must look at a root-and-branch review and reform of Betsi Cadwaladr, as Plaid Cymru has consistently advocated. We need a different structure entirely, rather than what amounts to little more than rearranging the deck chairs on a sinking ship.”