Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board logs 13 serious patient safety incidents in a year

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board disclosed that it logged 13 "never events" from August 2025 to July 2026, maintaining Wales' highest per-capita rate. The incidents comprised four wrong-site surgeries, five retained foreign objects after procedures, one medication administered by the wrong route, misplaced naso- or orogastric tubes, and two cases of incorrect implants. The board has been under special measures for most of the past decade and currently has 5,528 open incidents, over 62% of which are overdue, mainly in the moderate-harm category.

The report flagged ongoing issues with invasive-procedure safety standards, medicines management, resuscitation equipment checks and venous thromboembolism risk assessments, as well as growing backlogs in endoscopy services. It concluded that while corrective actions are underway, a stronger safety culture and compliance framework are still needed. The data were published before a health board meeting scheduled for Thursday, 24 September.