A failing health board has been warned it’s on its last chance to improve services as the Welsh Government steps in over persistent and unresolved concerns.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has been in a heightened state of escalation for 11 years, and at the most serious level - level 5 - since February 2023.

Health and Care Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor says the health board continues to fall short of the standards people in north Wales deserve and says the situation cannot be allowed to go on.

As part of the intervention, a full stocktake of the health board's current position will be carried out, covering operational challenges, quality of care and strategic direction.

The review will examine patient safety as well as the health board’s leadership, governance, organisational culture and board capability. An independent expert panel will undertake the assessment and provide clear, evidence-based recommendations to the Cabinet Minister.

Previous approaches relied on the health board leading its own recovery with external support. That has not delivered the pace or scale of change required. This new intervention moves beyond that, with Welsh Government taking a more direct role in ensuring improvement happens.

A final report is expected by the end of October.

Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, Mabon ap Gwynfor said: “People in north Wales are waiting too long to be able to access the care and treatment they need. This is not a reality the public should be asked to accept, and it is not one this Government will accept either.

“This is the Board’s final chance to demonstrate they can deliver the consistent high standards of care that the people of north Wales deserve."

NHS Wales Performance and Improvement (NHSWPI) has been tasked in supporting the health board in areas such as planned care, diagnostics and cancer to support operational improvement planning and increasing the robustness of delivery.

Further resources will now be deployed to ensure improvements through the coming months.

Healthcare Inspectorate Wales recently designated the emergency department at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd as a 'service requiring significant improvement' - its highest level of concern - less than two years after it had previously been removed from that status.

NHSWPI will support the development of an Urgent & Emergency Care Improvement Team led by a senior expert who will take forward an improvement plan.

The Minister added: “Today’s announcement is a serious intervention, reflecting the persistent and unresolved concerns. Previous arrangements have relied on the health board identifying and delivering its own recovery, with support alongside it, that has not worked.

“This new plan represents a clear departure from the failed approaches of the past. We are not simply asking the organisation to improve; we are directing them on how that improvement happens. That means setting clear expectations, providing targeted expertise, and maintaining close and continuous oversight of delivery.

“It is a clear statement of my commitment to supporting improvement and ensuring the people of north Wales receive the safe, high-quality and timely care they deserve.”