Doctors will lead hospitals and key service areas in West and Mid Wales as Hywel Dda University Health Board appoints permanent hospital director and clinical roles at its four main hospitals.

It follows a pilot which placed a temporary lead doctor, nurse and manager at each hospital to provide local leadership. To further cement the approach to putting clinical leadership at the heart of the hospitals, the hospital director roles are all taken on by doctors working in each of the hospitals as follows: Bronglais General Hospital - Dr. Phil Jones, Glangwili General Hospital - Dr. Eiry Edmunds, Prince Philip Hospital - Dr. Robbie Ghosal, Withybush General Hospital - Dr. Iain Robertson-Steel.

Also appointed was a dedicated clinical director for scheduled care, Mr. Mark Henwood who joins other lead clinical roles already in place - clinical director for unscheduled care, Dr. Jeremy Williams and associate medical director, mental health and learning disabilities, Dr. Warren Lloyd.

These post-holders will work with hospital directors and other clinical and management staff to ensure a University Health Board-wide focus on delivery of care across our geographical area to our population.

Executive director for operations and deputy chief executive Joe Teape said: “Together, they will form the key leadership team for operational services in the University Health Board. This is an important step for us as an organisation and for our staff and patients, demonstrating our commitment to being clinically led.

“We will now review other Health Board wide clinical lead roles and consider how we ensure cancer and children’s services are represented within this leadership group. We will also finalise our general manager and nurse structures to support the hospital director roles.

“Whilst some of these roles are hospital based, there is a real commitment from all colleagues to ensure we continue to work as one health board and that we support each other through continuing cross hospital services wherever this is best for our patients.”