Call for health board boss to quit over patient safety concerns

Concerns over patient safety at a north Wales hospital have prompted a call for a health board chief executive to resign.

Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) visited the emergency department at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Denbighshire, in May and said it needed "significant improvements."

A follow-up last month found progress had been made but challenges remained and "enhanced oversight" of the department was still needed.

Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said "people are dying", adding Betsi Cadwaladr health board's chief executive Carol Shillabeer was "clearly not able to do the job" and should step down.

But Shillabeer apologised "unreservedly" and said improving care was a priority.

The emergency department at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd came out of special scrutiny in 2024 before being given the designation again in summer 2026.

In its report, HIW said it identified "several immediate assurance concerns that required urgent action by the health board" relating to waiting area safety, paediatric emergency care, medicines and equipment management, and safeguarding oversight.

Patients, relatives and carers also shared their experiences in 660 survey responses, highlighting long waiting times, overcrowding and issues relating to privacy and dignity - though they also recognised the compassion and professionalism of staff.

A follow-up visit over two days in August found improvements including in staff wellbeing and engagement, patient flow, and paediatric governance.

But the HIW report also flagged challenges still which remained in waiting room oversight and reducing delays in medial and surgical referrals.

It said enhanced monitoring would focus not just on if actions had been completed, but also on whether they were "delivering measurable improvements, reducing risk and making a sustained difference to the experience of patients and staff."

In a statement, Shillabeer apologised "unreservedly" to patients who did not "receive the care they deserve" and said "all required actions from the inspection report" were now underway.

She added there were "significant and longstanding systemic issues" which "compound the pressures in a constantly busy department", adding the health board was "committed to assuring HIW and our public that we are serious about improving people's experiences" in its emergency departments.

But Millar, who repreents the area where the hospital is located, said "some people are dying because the services in the emergency department at Glan Clwyd hospital aren't good enough".

He told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that people were fed up of hearing "hollow apologies" and that it was time for the health board's chief executive to resign.

He said a doctor or nurse found to be incompetent would be struck off, and that should be the name for managers.

"If we've got incompetent senior leaders that are making decisions which are having life-changing consequences and they get those decisions seriously wrong, then they should also never be allowed to work in the NHS again," he said.

Mabon ap Gwynfor, Welsh government minister for health and care, said he fully recognised the "seriousness" of the HIW's findings.

He said the health board had put in place "immediate and longer-term improvement plans" and he welcomed the "early signs of progress in several areas".

He added progress would continue to be closely scrutinised by HIW and Welsh government officials and an independent review of leadership, governance and culture at the health board was expected to report at the end of October.