Welsh Liberal Democrats have said that they are “appalled” at the attitude of the Welsh health minister, who has refused to look into claims that £1bn of NHS cash is being poorly spent.
Last month, Paul Davies, of the All Wales Directors of NHS, told the assembly finance committee that a fifth of the £5bn annual health budget was not used correctly.
He said: “Far too many patients end up in the wrong place, either being hospitalised when they shouldn’t be, or they stay in hospital too long, or they stay in primary care, and they should be in hospital.
“All these mistakes… [are] extremely costly, very expensive.”
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams submitted a written question to Ms Hart asking if she would investigate, only to be met with a one word, point blank refusal.
She says she is “angry and astonished” that Edwina Hart has rejected calls for an investigation:
“I am absolutely appalled by the health minister’s reluctance to investigate these assertions. We are not talking about a few pound coins down the back of the sofa.
“We are talking about a billion pounds of public money being misspent in one of the most important areas of Welsh life.
“We all know that public spending is due to come under intense pressure in the next few years and the health minister’s reluctance to even look into the claim that a billion pounds is not being effectively spent is shocking.
“Every million pounds, let alone every billion pounds must be working to the direct benefit of Welsh patients.”
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