Hywel Dda health board says it has appointed six new nurses to work on Bronglais' children's ward, six months after services were reduced - but no date has been given as to when full service will return.

Hywel Dda University Health Board decided to remove impatient overnight beds from Angharad ward from 1 November for six months due to a lack of nurses.

Six months on, Hywel Dda University Health Board’s Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Carruthers has given an update now the six months have lapsed.

Mr Carruthers said: "We have successfully recruited six new nurses and are putting arrangements in place for Angharad Ward to return to usual care provisions for unwell children needing to stay in hospital for longer periods of time.”

No timeframe was given however, with Mr Carruthers adding: “We hope to make an announcement very soon."

The move, which was ratified by the health board in September, saw overnight beds taken away, with only a 24/7 four bed Paediatric Ambulatory Care Unit (PACU) that allows children to be assessed and treated at Bronglais for up to 24 hours with an assessment room, stabilisation area and waiting area on Angharad Ward.

Any child that requires more than a 24 hour stay from 1 November has to be transferred to Glangwili hospital in Carmarthen.

The board meeting last year heard that removing the six inpatient beds will mean around four children a month transferring to Glangwili.

Speaking in September, Director of Operations Andrew Carruthers said that it was a “difficult issue for us.”

“During the last eight-and-a-half months, service sustainability risks at Angharad Ward, Bronglais General Hospital have increased significantly due to shortfalls in the availability of paediatric nurses,” he told members.

“The service has been operating at risk, with a significant reliance on variable pay staff to enable service delivery to be maintained.”

The meeting heard it was “unsafe” to continue with the current staffing and bed levels.

Lisa Humphrey General Manager for Women and Children Services, told the meeting that the plan will still be able to care for “the majority of children”, and that staffing risks under the current model was leading to ad hoc complete overnight ward closures.

“Closing services at Bronglais, with the distance it is from Glangwili in an unplanned, ad hoc way is really, really risky,” she said.

News of the reduction in services in mid Wales led to dismay amongst residents, with hundreds responding to say any closing of Angharad ward would be “devastating” for Aberystwyth and Ceredigion.

Dr Neil Wooding, Chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board told members: “We’re not here to be popular, we’re here to make the right decisions.”

“This is a reactive approach to managing this, and we need to be more strategic,” he said.

“I know it must feel a bit like a fait accompli to the communities.

“I’m sure there will need to more service changes in the future and we need to be ahead and consulting with communities to understand what we are trying to achieve.”