Plaid Cymru urges Health Board to publish Holden Report

FOLLOWING an appeal by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board against a decision that they must publish the 2013 report, Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Health Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth MS has insisted the “cover-up” should end now.

Mr ap Iorwerth said that publishing the report was in the public’s interest, and that patients, their families, and the staff who spoke out about the problems had a right to see the report published at last.

The Plaid Cymru Shadow Health Minister also questioned why the report has been stalled whilst the board has been “under the direct control of the Welsh Government for more than five years” and asked that the Health Minister Vaughan Gething intervenes “to ensure that this cover-up comes to an end now”.

Mr ap Iorwerth said people would conclude that this is a cover-up driven by a determination not to expose “institutional and managerial failings at a senior level”.

Plaid Cymru Shadow Health Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said,

“BCUHB is making a bad situation even worse by appealing against a decision by the Information Commissioner’s Office that they must publish a report into institutional abuse at the Hergest mental health unit.

“The Holden Report back in 2013 took evidence from 37 staff who detailed mistreatment in the unit. Family members have fought hard to get this document out into the open. The health board’s management have fought to keep it secret every step of the way and that begs many questions.

“If there’s nothing wrong, what have you got to hide?”

Mr ap Iorwerth added,

“Remember that this is a document outlining neglect of frail and vulnerable people. People will conclude that this is a cover-up driven by a determination not to expose institutional and managerial failings at a senior level. I think the public deserve to know what was happening at this mental health unit and what’s been done in the meantime to improve things. We also need to know why a health board under the direct control of the Welsh Government for more than five years has stalled and delayed the releasing this report.

“Patients and their families, together with staff who have spoken out about these problems, deserve better than this and I would ask that the Health Minister Vaughan Gething intervenes to ensure that this cover-up comes to an end now.”