How is the Welsh Government supporting the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to bring down waiting times on orthopaedic surgery?
We provided Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board with up to £29.4m of capital funding to develop the new orthopaedic hub at Llandudno Hospital which will help reduce orthopaedic waiting times.
We are investing an additional £120m to support health boards to reduce long waiting times and the overall size of the waiting list in 2025-26. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has been allocated its share of this finding, as part of all phases of the Planned Care Recovery Plan.
This investment – supported by recommendations from a Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) review and the Ministerial Advisory Group on NHS Performance and Productivity – has seen a 52% reduction in the number of orthopaedic pathways waiting more than two years for treatment in North Wales over the last 12 months.
In November, I announced a series of additional interventions at the health board as part of special measures. This includes putting in place a senior team to work alongside the health board’s chief executive and board to drive rapid improvements in key service areas, including planned care.