Every Welsh health board is still in the red
Commenting on the Auditor General for Wales’ audit of NHS bodies (2023-24) accounts revealing that all health boards breached their ‘break-even duty’, Sam Rowlands MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister said:
“This abysmal news is the result of Labour prioritising politicians and pet projects over the running of the Welsh NHS.
“The Labour Welsh Government has slashed other key budgets to put more into the NHS while getting even less out as waiting lists spiral out of control to new record highs.
“While the Welsh Conservatives believe it is past due for Labour to spend every penny they receive for health on the Welsh NHS, cash should also be prioritised for frontline delivery.”
https://www.gov.wales/judith-paget-cbe#:~:text=Judith%20Paget%20CBE%3A%20Director%20General,WALES
The Auditor General for Wales’ audit of NHS bodies’ 2023-24 accounts revealed that all seven health boards in Wales failed to meet their statutory duty to break even over a three-year period. The audit also found that:
- The three-year overspend across the NHS increased from £248 million in 2022/23 to £385 million in 2023/24.
- For 2023/24 alone, the deficit rose to £183 million, from £150 million the previous year.
- The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, which covers the NHS in Caerphilly County Borough, overspent by £86.3 million over the past three financial years.
The auditor general’s findings highlight the growing financial pressures on the NHS. The current financial climate and the need to deal with service pressures make it increasingly difficult for NHS bodies to produce financially balanced plans.
Senedd considers recall mechanism for politicians
Commenting on the news that the Senedd’s Standards Committee is looking into a similar system to Westminster for the recall of politicians, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for the Constitution, Darren Millar MS said:
“Making it possible for Members of the Senedd to be booted out of office for failing to uphold high standards of behaviour is an important accountability mechanism that has been lacking in the Senedd.
“Such systems are used around the world, and have proven themselves to be very effective.
“Given that changes to the voting system will mean that the public will not have the opportunity to elect individual candidates of their choice to the Welsh Parliament in the future, having a system which promotes the direct accountability of Members of the Senedd to the voters is all the more important.”
He added:
“Having rejected my proposals for a system of recall earlier this year, I am pleased that the Welsh Government is finally waking up to the need for this change to our rules.”
