North Wales health board bows to pressure to broadcast meeting on controversial vascular service changes online

A health board has bowed to pressure and will look to hold a discussion about controversial changes to vascular services online.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board confirmed that meetings held on Thursday and Friday this week will be confined to board members only.

Yet a discussion around a report into controversial changes to vascular services, which impacts everything from preventing amputations to protecting liver and kidney function, could now be held online after pressure from a patient watchdog.

Betsi’s board meets on Thursday to discuss the report into vascular services, which were controversially centralised at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in 2019.

It meets again on Friday to discuss, among other things, “maintaining good governance” during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) was told there was no way of witnessing either proceedings.

However, Geoff Ryall-Harvey, chief officer of patient watchdog North Wales Community Health Council (NWCHC), said the board had relented and will now hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the vascular service report next week.

He said: “We have raised this with them and Welsh Government.  Other public bodies broadcast their meetings on the web – why not BCUHB?

“They have now agreed to hold the vascular review report discussion on the web but will need to have a special meeting next week to set it all up.

“I’m good with that as it will allow public scrutiny.”

A board spokeswoman said it had withdrawn the vascular report from Thursday’s meeting and would discuss it on May 21 at 2.30pm.

She added: “Board members wish to ensure that they have had sufficient time to review the papers and to seek further information as necessary.

“The Board wishes to ensure sufficient time is available to receive and to debate the papers in a meeting.

“The Board wishes to examine the feasibility of streaming the meeting live to provide further transparency.”

On the board’s website it advises: “BCU Health Board is committed to openness and transparency, and conducts as much of its business as possible in a session that members of the public are normally welcome to attend and observe.

“However, in light of the current advice and guidance in relation to coronavirus (Covid-19) we would ask members of the public to follow this advice and if you do wish to attend any meeting of the Board or its Committees in person to contact the Office of the Board Secretary in advance.”

“The draft minutes from the meeting will however be published to the website as soon as possible following the meeting – ideally within 3 working days.”

The board has told “the informatics team” was looking into the possibility of streaming all future meetings.

Papers for the extraordinary Board will be published on the Health Board’s website on May 14.

By Jez Hemming – Local Democracy Reporter