Health board still paying for research despite criticism over patient benefit

Health board continues to fund university research centre despite criticism over patient benefit

The full report

A health board in North Wales is continuing to pay for research at a university centre despite criticism over the benefit to patients, according to an internal report. The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board was due to pay Bangor University £110,686 this financial year to fund two researchers in the Centre for Mental Health and Society. The internal report, written in January, expressed concerns that the payments were not directly benefiting patients and that the health board could not demonstrate value for money from the agreement.

The agreement between the health board and Bangor University was set up as a five-year contract in 2012, but was not reviewed and allowed to continue. By September 2025, over £4m of NHS money had been paid to the university, but the health board could not demonstrate that it had received value for money from the agreement.

The health and social care watchdog Llais has expressed concerns that the health board is not acting quickly enough to address the issues. Regional director Geoff Ryall-Harvey said that he would have expected a serious review of the agreement and that NHS money should be used to get the best value for patients.

The Centre for Mental Health and Society is part of Bangor University, but is based in Wrexham, using offices belonging to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The health board said that current research topics include: