Betsi Cadwaladr health chiefs have dismissed claims they are planning to privatise hospital pharmacies, but admitted considering “partnership working” with community pharmacies they claim could improve services.

Union officials from Unison Cymru had warned that hospital pharmacies would be privatised under proposals that Betsi Cadwaladr had claimed would address staffing problems and save money on tax.

However, the health board has insisted its proposals would involve community pharmacies and would “free up staff to carry out other duties”.

Unison Cymru head of health Paul Summers said any privatisation would be likely to see worse services in hospitals with patient needs not being a priority.

He said: “Private companies have no place in the Welsh NHS.

“The collapse of Carillion shows the private sector doesn’t always know best and it is not more efficient than the public sector.

“Patient needs will not be the first priority for private companies focused on generating a profit and privatising pharmacies could open the way to wholesale privatisations of other NHS Wales services.

However, a spokesperson for Betsi Cadwaladr said: “We are in the early stages of exploring opportunities to work in partnership with community pharmacies to provide outpatient prescription dispensing services within our main hospitals.

“This is not a proposal to privatise our hospital pharmacies."

See this week’s north editions for the full story, in shops and online now