BETSI Cadwaladr Health Board could be taken out of special measures because of the progress made across a range of areas, the board’s chief executive has claimed.

Gary Doherty said while he accepted there were still areas to be improved, he was generally satisfied with the progress made in addressing problems with the services provided to patients.

In an interview, Mr Doherty said he was hopeful that Betsi Cadwaladr could be taken out of special measures in November, with the board providing evidence to the Welsh Government about the improvements put in place.

He said: “They’ll look at the evidence we’ve put forward. I’m confident they’ll make the right call. I think they made a difficult call to put us into special measures. I think they’ll make the right call as to when to take us out.

“I think my target will be to deliver what I said I’d deliver by November. I will never be happy with what I’ve done because that’s not the way I am and that’s not the way I think I should be.

“I’ll then instantly say to myself ‘If I’ve done what I should have done by November, what is it I have got to do in December, January and February, whether for an ongoing special measures conversation or if I’m the chief executive of this place and my job is to make it as good as it can be’.”

But while saying that the health board had made progress in every area identified as a priority by Health Cabinet Secretary Vaughan Gething, Mr Doherty admitted that there was more work needed to be done to ensure services were providing the best care for patients.

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