Minister orders investigation into Betsi waiting list data

ACTION DUE TO 'CONCERNS OVER ACCURACY' AS OPPOSITION BRAND NEWS 'INCREDIBLY DAMNING'

- By OWEN HUGHES Chief Reporter

A FORMAL investigation has been launched into waiting time data from Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board. Health Secretary Jeremy Miles announced the move after the postponement of the publication of NHS Wales performance statistics last week.

Concerns include anomalies in the reported waiting list size and inconsistencies with operational activity levels.

The Health Board said it was working to address the matter and that the data failure had “not impacted the delivery of care.”

This comes amid longstanding issues with the health board which was put into special measures for a second time by the Welsh Government in February 2023. It had previously spent 2015 to 2020 under special measures.

Jeremy Miles MS, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, said: “Following discussions with the Chief Statistician, the publication of referral to treatment (RTT) waiting times for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is being suspended, pending the outcome of an external investigation into the quality and governance of its data, which I am announcing today.