There is a shortage of more than 400 nurses in the three counties of the Hywel Dda University Health Board, figures published by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Wales have stated.

Nationally, there are 1,719 nursing vacancies throughout the whole of Wales; an increase from 1,612 from the statistics recorded in 2020.

In the Hywel Dda area, there is a shortage of 408 nurses, with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board being the only health board with more vacancies (541).

Furthermore, the RCN report said that nurses give the health service an additional 34,284 hours in overtime every week which equates to 914 full-time nurses.

Richard Jones MBE, chair of RCN Wales Board: “Whether in work or in sport, each and every one of us knows how hard it can be to be just one team member down – our nursing staff are short of 1,719 highly-skilled, life-saving players. We need a full team.”

Helen Whyley, director of RCN Wales, added: “Nurses are overworked and under pressure, working many hours over their contracts to try and fill the gaps. They are under-resourced to deliver the high standard of care required by their patients and are not being rewarded with fair wages for the complex and safety critical role they do.”