
Welsh Conservatives have accused Labour ministers in Cardiff Bay of being insensitive in their approach to those who lost loved ones to Covid-19, as bereaved families say they have been ignored.
The Putting Things Right (PTR) process was set up to register concerns about someone’s care or treatment. Baroness Morgan subsequently announced last month a further framework to support investigations into deaths as a result of hospital-acquired Covid infections in Wales.
However, follow-up questions by the Welsh Conservatives have hit a brick wall, with the Labour Government unable to provide information on the number of investigations into hospital-acquired infection already conducted under the PTR process.
Meanwhile, bereaved families have become frustrated with the lack of proactive communication from the Labour Government over the process as:
- They receive incomplete, inaccurate, and inconsistent responses to their questions and challenges – when they do get answers;
- Neither ministers or officials have explained to them how the new framework will work; and
- None of them have heard from health boards about investigations, via PTR, into the deaths of family members believed to have died of hospital-acquired infections, despite the Labour Government making that commitment in July last year.
They’ve also expressed concerns that complaints to PTR must be made within 12 months and the route to seek redress should they object to health boards’ findings, which is to raise their concern with the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.
But the Ombudsman is likely to overwhelmed with complaints given the number of cases it will have to undertake, especially when considering the backlog that accumulated during the pandemic, leaving families waiting months or even years for answers.
The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru group have told the Welsh Conservatives they feel that they have been “kept in the dark” regarding the outcomes of investigations.
By letting health boards run their own investigations, inconsistency has emerged: Swansea Bay and Hywel Dda health boards have completed their investigations while other areas are playing catch-up.
Despite this is not being meant to impact Swansea Bay and Hywel Dda reporting back, families there have not yet been informed of the investigations’ outcomes.
Mark Drakeford is currently blocking an independent, Wales-specific Covid inquiry, despite Nicola Sturgeon commissioning one for Scotland and Boris Johnson ordering a UK-wide inquiry.
The Welsh Conservatives have long-supported calls by the bereaved families group for a public inquiry into the actions of the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay to ensure accountability and that lessons are learned on a devolved level.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative and Shadow Health Minister Russell George MS said:
“While there has been positive action through a commitment to investigate every death as a result of hospital-acquired infection – true for a quarter of Covid-deaths in Wales – bereaved families need confidence in the system, which can only come through transparency.
“As it stands, those grieving clearly feel they are being kept in the dark while they, rightly, press Labour ministers for clear answers on how the process works. They and the rest of the Welsh public deserve better than this.
“Of course, this will still not make up for the independent, Wales-specific Covid inquiry we want to see. The extensive use of intrusive powers cannot go unchecked without a thorough and comprehensive investigation, even if Mark Drakeford would prefer to continue blocking it.”
Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees from the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru Group added:
“While we appreciate some of the action being taken to look into the deaths of those we lost to coronavirus, we are deeply frustrated at the moment with the Welsh Government.
“There is a lack of communication from them and our questions are usually met with inaccurate, incomplete, and inconsistent answers, if not just a wall of silence.
“Since hospital-acquired infections caused a quarter of Wales’ Covid deaths, it should not be this difficult to get a good idea of how ministers intend to investigate them.
“We feel that bereaved families are being kept in the dark when failures in infection control and other shortcomings needs a spotlight shone on them so mistakes are not repeated in future.”