Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has approved a recurrent investment of up to £6.6 million to fund additional permanent doctors, nurses and healthcare support workers across its three Emergency Departments.
The decision, approved at the Board’s meeting on Thursday (25 June), is aimed at reducing reliance on temporary bank, locum and agency staff by creating a more stable and sustainable workforce.
The Health Board said the investment will help its Emergency Departments better manage growing demand, provide more timely assessment and treatment for patients, and deliver dignified care.
It is also expected to improve the wellbeing of frontline staff, many of whom continue to experience high levels of fatigue and burnout due to sustained pressures on emergency services.
Chief Executive Carol Shillabeer said: “This significant investment will reduce our current reliance on bank, locum and agency staff, ensuring that we have a stable, skilled and sufficiently resourced workforce in place to safely manage demand, provide more timely assessment and treatment, and deliver dignified care.
“Crucially, it will also help to improve the morale and wellbeing of our hard-working Emergency Department staff, who face high levels of fatigue and burnout as a result of the significant and sustained pressure they face on a daily basis.
“I want to pay tribute to their unwavering commitment to delivering the best possible care for our patients in incredibly challenging circumstances. The Board remains fully committed to doing everything it can to support them.”
Ms Shillabeer said that while the investment represents an important step forward, it will not resolve every challenge facing emergency care. She said the Health Board will continue working with partners across the health and social care system to tackle wider issues affecting patient flow and hospital capacity, which remain the principal causes of long waiting times, delayed ambulance handovers and overcrowding within Emergency Departments.
The decision follows the completion of a detailed business case examining the long-term sustainability of current staffing arrangements.
The £6.6 million package is made up of £2.7 million previously held in reserve pending completion of the Emergency Department business case, together with a further £3.9 million approved by the Board on 25 June.
The move was welcomed by Janet Finch-Saunders MS, who described it as a positive step towards improving patient care and supporting frontline NHS staff, while stressing that the funding must deliver meaningful improvements for patients.
The Senedd Member for Bangor Conwy Môn said: “I welcome this investment in our Emergency Departments and the recognition that more permanent frontline staff are needed to meet growing demand.
“For some time, I have consistently raised concerns in the Senedd about overcrowding, lengthy waits and the unacceptable practice of corridor care. Patients deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and staff deserve to work in an environment where they can provide the highest standard of care.
“This investment must now be used to deliver meaningful improvements for patients. We cannot continue to see patients waiting for treatment on chairs for hours or even days, being treated in unsuitable spaces, or going without access to a hospital bed when they need one. Corridor care should not become normalised in any part of our NHS.
“While this funding alone will not solve every challenge facing the NHS, I hope it marks a significant step towards ending corridor care once and for all. I will continue to press Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and the Welsh Government to ensure that this investment delivers real improvements for patients in my constituency and across North Wales.”
