NEARLY two-thirds of health care services in Wales have not been inspected for five years, leading to concerns about patient safety.

Gareth Davies led a Conservative debate in the Senedd on the “dismal findings” of Healthcare Inspectorate Wales’ (HIW) 2022-23 annual report.

The party’s shadow social services minister, who worked in the NHS for more than a decade, said the HIW report did not find any evidence of Welsh Government initiatives making a clear and significant difference to frontline services.

He told the Senedd: “The shocking lack of inspections of Welsh health facilities needs addressing urgently and that's why we are calling for an urgent timetable to be drawn up to ensure these facilities meet the standard expected.”

Altaf Hussain, a former consultant orthopaedic surgeon, warned that cuts to HIW’s budget will only add to a growing deficit of inspection work.

The Conservative MS for South Wales West said: “Nearly two in three healthcare services have not been inspected in the past five years, and without such vital inspections, who knows what patient safety issues are going unaddressed?”

He said 17 per cent of Welsh hospitals and a staggering 73 per cent of GPs have never been inspected.

Janet Finch-Saunders told the chamber that HIW scarcely has the capacity to inspect 10 per cent of health services annually, with only 137 onsite inspections taking place.

Carolyn Thomas stressed that there is a health crisis across the UK – not only in Wales.

The Labour backbencher, who represents North Wales, said evidence shows this has worsened over the past 14 years since the start of austerity.

She said Wales spends eight per cent more on heath and 43 per cent more on social care than England.

Eluned Morgan said it was a political decision to cut HIW’s budget to instead focus funding on frontline health services.

Wales’ health minister stressed that the inspectorate visited all health boards and trusts where inpatient care is provided.

She reiterated that the Welsh budget will be worth £1.3 billion less, in real terms, than when it was set in the UK Government’s 2021 spending review.

Baroness Morgan said: “We have directed, in the Welsh Government, money from all other parts of the Government to shore up the NHS.

“All parts of the NHS across the UK are struggling financially.”

The Conservative motion was voted down, with the Senedd failing to agree on amendments, after the debate on Wednesday January 17.