Written Statement: Resolution of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Data quality issues

I am pleased to report that publication of the referral to treatment waiting times at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has now resumed following the resolution of the data quality issues raised in November 2025. 

As I requested, an external rapid review was undertaken which examined governance, technical processes, coding issues, and assurance mechanisms across the organisation. The review found that the issue arose from the handling of a specific data code, which led to under-reporting of patient pathways. This was a data management issue, not a patient treatment issue.

Revised data has now been submitted and validated. As a result, a small number of patient pathways have been added to the figures between April and August. I will publish the full report in the coming weeks 

The results of the review gave sufficient evidence and confidence that the quality issues initially raised and documented in the Chief statistician blog  Chief Statistician’s update: ensuring quality in NHS waiting times statistics | Digital and Data Blog have been addressed and resolved.

This has led to the publication of the missing data for Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board and the all Wales position on the 13 January 2026 StatsWales

A short suspension of reporting was the correct decision to ensure data accuracy and integrity. 

BCUHB has strengthened its procedures and processes, including:

• A new monthly governance framework with executive sign-off.
• Improved reconciliation and validation checks.
• Enhanced collaboration between digital, operational, and performance teams.

National teams have also taken steps to improve system-level checks and trend analysis to prevent similar issues in future. Recommendations have been made for all health boards to adopt best practice in data validation.

There is more to do to reduce long waits for patients, and this remains a priority for the Welsh Government and NHS Wales. I want to thank NHS staff for their continued efforts to deliver care in challenging circumstances.