Betsi Cadwaladr: Minister Eluned Morgan defends handling of health board

Ex-Betsi Cadwaladr independent board members cannot "shrug off" responsibility for how the service is run, the health minister has said.

On Monday, Eluned Morgan forced the 11 board members to quit the north Wales health board and put it into special measures for a second time.

She said she lacked powers to make top managers quit but could intervene with independent board members.

Those board members say her actions expose patients to "significant risk".

Betsi Cadwaladr was already under "targeted intervention" from the Welsh government in a range of areas, including mental health services.

Just two years ago it came out of special measures, after 1,996 days of being under more direct Welsh government oversight.

Last week, Audit Wales called the health board's senior executive team dysfunctional, following a recent string of failings, including on vascular and emergency services.

It is led by a group of executive directors, responsible for the day-to-day operation of services, and independent board members there to scrutinise their decisions.

The former independent board members have said in a letter to politicians that they had "no confidence" in the Welsh government's grasp of the situation.

They said they had been raising concerns with ministers about the health board and questioned the focus on them, instead of senior executives.

"It wasn't my job to have a grasp on things, they were in charge," Ms Morgan told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast on Tuesday.

"They can't shrug off the responsibility and say it's my responsibility. We've had concerns about the health board for a while.

"The straw that broke the camel's back was that Audit Wales report that made it very clear that the board was dysfunctional and, although there is a huge amount of criticism of the executive, with the current board it was clear that the relationships had broken down to such an extent that it didn't look they were able to make to make the changes that were necessary in the health board."

As part of the changes chairman Mark Polin has been replaced by former Gwynedd council leader Dyfed Edwards.

Explaining her decision to force the independent board members out, the minister said: "We don't have the powers as a government minister to intervene directly in terms of the executives," the minister explained.

"I only have the power to intervene in relation to the chair and the independent members and that's what I did yesterday, both by intervening there but by also putting Betsi Cadwaladr back into special measures."

In their letter, the former independent board members alleged that responsibility for organisational culture, service quality and delivery "have been placed at our door without recognition of the limitation of our powers as independent members".

"The response to the Audit Wales report, and her focus on independent members rather than the operational executive and their delivery, exposes patients across north Wales, and the organisation to significant risk going forward," they said.

Last week, the Auditor General Adrian Crompton alleged that the executive team suffered from "dysfunctionality and factions".

He said independent members had scrutinised executives publicly, but that was seen as "hostile and inappropriate" by some.