Healthcare Inspectorate Wales have today published their report into their unannounced visit to Ysbyty Gwynedd's Emergency Department in April 2025. 

24.07.25

In response, Dr Pete Williams Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Clinical Lead at the Emergency Department at Ysbyty Gwynedd, said: “We welcome the findings of the recent unannounced inspection by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and are pleased that the report acknowledges the positive improvements made since the last inspection. I am particularly proud that the inspectors recognised the dedication and compassion of our hardworking team, who consistently provide high-quality care in what is often a very challenging and high-pressure environment.

“We are acutely aware of the ongoing and well-documented challenges around patient flow, which affect emergency departments across the UK. Providing care to patients who are waiting on the corridors before being admitted to hospital is not a situation any of us want to be in, but I want to reassure our patients and their families that their safety and care remain our top priorities. Our team continues to deliver safe and compassionate care despite these pressures.

“We are working closely with local authorities, third sector organisations, and other partner agencies to improve patient flow enabling people to return home. These collaborative efforts are focused on supporting timely and safe discharges, which in turn help the Emergency Department function more efficiently. This work is focused on improving patient safety and experience throughout their journey, including patients being brought into hospital by ambulance to be transferred into the department quickly to reduce lengthy waits in ambulances and free the ambulance teams to respond to people within the community.

“In response to some of the patient safety concerns raised in the report, we have already taken specific actions:

• Identifying a dedicated isolated area for patients with lowered immunity is a challenge for our Emergency Department. We are working with our Cancer Division across the Health Board to establish better pathways for assessment and treatment outside of the Emergency Department for our most vulnerable patients, which will aim to minimise infection risk. When patients do have a need to attend the department staff are making every effort to identify appropriate locations within the department to reduce the risk of infection.
• The medication storage system identified in the report was immediately rectified. We now have continuous temperature monitoring in place and have introduced an escalation process if temperatures fall outside of safe thresholds.
• The paediatric area within the department has been reconfigured to improve staff oversight and ensure a safer environment for our younger patients.
• We recognise that consistently achieving the recommended 15-minute triage window is challenging, particularly during peak periods. To address this, we have strengthened oversight of triage by the nurse in charge and introduced a formal escalation process that guides the temporary reallocation of staff to support triage when required.
• Finally, we have developed a business case that presents the recommendations to secure sustainable staffing levels in the Emergency Department, reducing our reliance on agency staff.

“We remain absolutely committed to making ongoing improvements in our department and delivering safe and compassionate emergency care for our patients. I am incredibly proud of the dedication and professionalism shown every day by the team in our Emergency Department. We thank Healthcare Inspectorate Wales for their overall very positive visit; their valuable feedback will help us continue to enhance and improve our service for the communities we serve.”

Healthcare Inspectorate Wales report into their unannounced visit to Ysbyty Gwynedd's Emergency Department in April 2025.