Clwyd West MS Darren Millar has called on the Minister for Health and Social Services to make an urgent statement following reports that Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board attempted to keep its name secret in a case involving ‘substantial and alarming failures’ in the care of mental health patient.

Darren called for the statement following reports that a judge had rejected the Health Board’s request to hide its name in a case concerning the poor care of a 43 year old man in January last year.  

Darren said:

“Reports have suggested that the Besti Cadwaladr Health Board attempted to prevent the name of the Board being made public following the scandalous care of a mental health patient.

“The judge described the patient's needs as being ‘substantially unaddressed’, ‘unacknowledged’, ‘unidentified’, and ‘neglected’, and yet the Besti Cadwaladr health board was trying to hide its association with the case from the public.

“I had hoped that there had been a culture change in the organisation in recent years, but this case suggests otherwise.

“For a health board that’s was in special measures for more than 5 years for problems with its mental health services this is totally unacceptable. We need an urgent statement from the Health Minister to determine what action she now intends to take to ensure that the Health Board is accountable for what has happened.”