Kurtz Slams Welsh Government over NHS Record as Services Face Uncertainty
Welsh Conservative Senedd Member, Samuel Kurtz has criticised the Welsh Government’s handling of the NHS, accusing Ministers of presiding over a “bureaucratic and unaccountable system” after 27 years of Labour control.
Speaking during a heated Senedd debate on health services yesterday (25th February), Samuel Kurtz said people across Wales want ambition and improvement in the NHS - not continued decline or political point-scoring.
He said Wales should be striving to lead the UK on health outcomes, rather than consistently finding itself at the bottom of key league tables for waiting times, performance and patient access.
The Senedd Member challenged the Welsh Government’s long-standing position that responsibility for service delivery rests solely with local health boards, arguing that accountability ultimately lies with Ministers.
“For years, Welsh Government Ministers have claimed health boards are responsible for delivering services while they simply provide the policy framework,” he said.
“That argument no longer holds. After nearly three decades of Labour rule, the system has become bureaucratic, messy and lacking clear accountability. Patients and staff deserve to know who is responsible when services deteriorate.”
Kurtz also hit back after First Minister Eluned Morgan accused critics of scaremongering over proposed service changes.
“I will never apologise for standing up for my constituents,” he said. “These are the same communities we are all elected to represent. Raising genuine concerns about access to healthcare is not scaremongering, it is doing our job.”
Highlighting concerns about centralisation, Samuel Kurtz questioned the Welsh Government’s approach after Eluned Morgan announced £33million in new facilities in Rhyl’s Royal Alexandra Hospital in North Wales at the same time as supporting proposals that move services away from local communities that use Withybush Hospital and Bronglais Hospital.
“There is a clear contradiction in promising care closer to home while backing policies that centralise services into hospitals (Glangwili) already struggling with outdated infrastructure and overcrowding,” he added.
The Senedd member warned that NHS debates must move beyond party politics and focus on delivering real improvements for patients.
“This should never be a political football. This is about livelihoods, life and death, and families who are increasingly fed up with a system that is not delivering the care they deserve.”
He concluded by calling on Welsh Government Ministers to take responsibility for NHS performance and set out a clear plan to improve services across Wales.