The Health Minister was today accused of misleading the public over the funding of a major report into the management of the NHS as pressure mounts over the Minister’s refusal to publish the McKinsey Report.
The Minister responded to a question from Shadow Health Minister Andrew RT Davies stating that the cost of the work undertaken by external management consultants McKinsey & Co would be jointly met by the Assembly Government and Local Health Boards. Today Andrew Davies released correspondence from four Local Health Boards confirming they have not spent a penny on McKinsey and were not involved in any stage of the commissioning.
Andrew RT Davies said, “The Minister has some serious explaining to do. She made a clear statement that these costs were being shared and it now transpires that this is not true.
“Far from being a joint exercise with Local Health Boards, letters to me confirm that the Health Boards were not involved at any stage.
“The entire process of commissioning McKinsey & Co has been mired in secrecy. The public has a right to know how much taxpayers’ money the Minister has spent asking experts to advise on management issues in the Welsh NHS. The consultants were taken on in the first place to help make the NHS more cost-effective.
“Especially in times of austerity, it is essential that public money is accounted for and it is extremely disappointing that the Minister is refusing to disclose her spending patterns.
“It is widely understood that McKinsey & Co identified a number of failings in the NHS which need to be addressed, yet the Minister has so far failed to provide sound reasoning for her refusal to publish the document.
“We need honesty and transparency surrounding the role McKinsey & Co have played. The Minister should have sufficient respect for healthcare professionals to be open about developments in the NHS and how its funds will be spent in future.
“The Minister needs to come forward and explain these clear but, seemingly incompatible statements from her and the Local Health Boards. Her failure to come clean risks threatening the credibility of her role as Health Minister.”
