A new cohort of community trained nurses have given a boost to community nursing in the Cardigan area.

Hywel Dda University Health Board says it has made a commitment to build on community services for the people of Cardigan and surrounding areas.

The nurses will deliver care in the community, and support patients to stay well and out of hospital.

The range of treatments being provided includes wound dressings, responding to urgent requests and providing end of life nursing care.

The nursing workforce started on July 14, and within the first two weeks, 27 people were referred, and the health board says it has received positive comments from patients about the service.

University Health Board Chairman Bernardine Rees OBE said: “This new model of care will benefit the local community through its enhanced community services, bringing care closer to people’s homes. We are keen to help people better understand the new way of providing care and would encourage people to attend future public information events which we are planning in the coming months, particularly in relation to the investment we are making in developing a new purpose built Cardigan Integrated Care Resource Centre.”

The service will continue to develop over the next two months to integrate with health, social care and reablement services.

The health board says that local concern about access to nursing beds has been addressed by commissioning interim beds in nursing homes and use of Joint Care Beds.

Mrs Rees added: “I wish to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our staff, and our partner agencies, who continue to work hard to develop this service and for their commitment to providing improved care and better outcomes for patients.”