NURSING care in Ceredigion will “fade into oblivion” unless senior Hywel Dda Health Board managers address glaring issues, an experienced nursing consultant has warned.

Sandra Harriss, who has worked in nursing for 30 years, including at Bristol University Hospitals, California, Canada and Saudi Arabia, has accused senior managers of “inertia or paralysis” in dealing with problems with nursing care.

She said she has serious concerns, insisting that the structure of the health board is “top heavy” which is affecting patient care and warned that after it was announced that the board had been placed into targeted intervention by the Welsh Government things could get worse.

She said: “Special measures within the NHS are the signal that those at the helm cannot get the job done.

“Nursing in Ceredigion will fade into oblivion and care will be a problem for families - the women in particular.”

While the health board has previously said that funding and recruitment issues are a major challenge, Ms Harriss, who lives in Llanbrynmair, insisted the health board’s management team were causing major problems for services.

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