COUNCILLORS in Wrexham are set to quiz bosses from the North Wales health board next week.

Representatives of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which has been in special measures since June 2015 after a scandal involving mental health services, are due to attend a scrutiny committee meeting at the town’s Guildhall next Wednesday.

In a similar meeting last October, the health board was heavily criticised by the council’s deputy leader Hugh Jones, who branded its failure to attend meetings on tackling substance misuse in Wrexham as ‘a disgrace’.

The latest session includes a scheduled update from the organisation’s chief executive Gary Doherty.

Politicians will also be given a report on the progress made in improving mental health services across the region.

In the report, the board said: “It was recognised at the development stage of the strategy how important it was to work with wider partners in order to deliver the improved outcomes for the population of North Wales.

“The year one priority to eliminate all clinically unjustified out of area placements for mental health was expanded by the partners to become, changes to the way crisis and unscheduled care in mental health is managed.

“This priority has involved all groups considering what they need to be doing to drive the changes needed.”

Teams have been set up to look at how services should be changed to meet the needs of people with mental health issues.

Their initial work has included developing alternatives to hospital admission within the community, such as crisis cafes, which they can deliver together with third sector organisations.

The meeting will also received an update on waiting times for child and adolescent mental health services.