The former chief executive of the Board of Community Health Councils in Wales has come forward and described his experiences of a culture of 'entitlement, gagging, bullying and unfairness' in the Welsh NHS. Mr Tony Rucinski has claimed that a closeness between Welsh Government and the NHS meant that difficult conversations about what needs to happen in the health system are not taken forward.

Local Assembly Member Paul Davies said, “It’s extremely disappointing to hear reports of gagging and bullying in the Welsh NHS, especially from the previous head of the Board of Community Health Councils. Community Health Councils are supposed to be independent of Government and it’s important that that voice is maintained, so that we can have an honest and open discussion about the delivery of local health services. The Welsh Government must therefore encourage Community Health Councils to be robust in their scrutiny of health services and speak out when they need to, on behalf of Welsh patients.”