Major concerns raised over safety and overcrowding at A&E unit

Concerns have been raised about patient safety at a hospital emergency department less than two years after it came out of special scrutiny for similar issues.

The unit at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Denbighshire has been designated as needing significant improvements over issues including leadership, governance, culture and overcrowding following an inspection last month.

Carol Shillabeer, chief executive of the hospital's Betsi Cadwaladr health board, said it fully accepted the findings, which reflected "serious concerns".

One woman who said she witnessed an elderly patient die alone in the overcrowded unit with beds lining its corridors said the findings came as "no surprise" to her.

The hospital unit has been designated as a service requiring significant improvement (SRSI) following an unannounced inspection by regulatory body Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) in May.

Alun Jones, HIW chief executive, said it was "very disappointing" that some of the previous problems had reoccurred since it left special scrutiny in 2024.

He said a full report will be published in September, but that issues included the concerns of staff who felt they "weren't listened to" when speaking up about safety issues.

Jones said that the department was "not necessarily a pleasant place to work for the staff," and that there were "cultural problems".

"I think as long as you've got those underlying fundamental challenges, then... we are going to have some overall concerns about safety and risk to patients in that setting," he added.

He said despite the concerns, HIW were not telling patients not to use the department, and said the health board had been "positive and constructive in its engagement" and had put an action plan in place.

Shillabeer said the issues related to leadership and culture, patient safety, overcrowding and the safety and experience of patients waiting for care.

"We are sorry that, in some areas, the standard of care has not been where it needs to be for our patients," she said.

"We know this will be concerning for the people we serve and for our staff, who are working under sustained pressure, and we want to reassure them that immediate action is underway."

She added they had an improvement plan to target issues like overcrowding, strengthening patient safety, and improving leadership and oversight.

The health board was also considering plans to strengthen staffing in emergency departments across north Wales, she said.

Nadia Wainwright, 28, who along with her partner witnessed an elderly woman die "alone" in a corridor of the emergency department in March 2026, said the latest findings came as "no surprise" to her.

Wainwright, from Henllan, said the woman had passed away alone with "no privacy and no one holding her hand", in a department "extremely overcrowded" with patients in beds and chairs lining the corridors.

She said she also witnessed an unsupervised elderly lady struggling to walk to the toilet with her catheter bag "dragging along the floor".

"We appreciate that hospital wards can be busy and that staff often work under considerable pressure," Wainwright said.

"However, we found these situations deeply concerning. Vulnerable patients should be treated with dignity, provided with appropriate assistance, and adequately supervised to ensure their safety," she said.

Welsh health minister Mabon ap Gwynfor, said he was "deeply concerned" that the inspection had again identified "significant failings" at the emergency department.

"The health board has provided assurances that it has already taken immediate actions in response to the issues identified and that it is safe for people to continue attending the emergency department at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd," he said.

But he added that a lack of "sustained progress made by the health board in transforming urgent and emergency care services" needed to change.