Wales’ health minister has said more accountability is needed among health boards as he praised the work of a nursing graduate scheme.

Mabon ap Gwynfor MS visited Aberystwyth on Monday to celebrate more than 250 nursing graduates securing posts in NHS Wales since June.

He said: “Today is a celebration of work carried out here in Aberystwyth University with the local health board.

“Healthcare is changing in rural Wales. We know demographics are getting older, we know that the demand is going to increase, and we know that we need more nurses in the community: district nurses, local nurses, mental health nurses.

Health campaigners from across mid and west Wales held a summit over the weekend, where they called on the Welsh Government to agree a programme of action for with clear responsibilities, timescales and public accountability.

Reacting to the message from campaigners, he added: “What we are trying to do in government was reflected in what they were saying.

"Absolutely, we need to break down those silos, not just within government but across Wales, breaking down the barriers between health boards.

"Historically, they've been sort of standalone organisations. We need to make sure that they collaborate more for the benefit of patients.”

When asked about the Longley report which was released more than a decade ago, calling for a centre of rural healthcare excellence, Mr ap Gwynfor said: “One of the things that Marcus Longley was referencing was the need to develop a centre of rural health excellence. So I've started and initiated that now.

“If you look at how they've developed rural healthcare in Western Australia, that's the kind of model we need to look at.”

Asked whether there needs to be a reorganisation of health boards, Mr ap Gwynfor said: “As things stand, we have to work with the boards that we've got, because any change to the health boards will take a long, long while to do.

“The public, need confidence that they are accountable for actions that are taken. But in the long term, who knows.”

On the issue of health boards being held accountable for decisions, he added: “Last month, I announced the new escalation frameworks so that we've got greater transparency, earlier intervention when things—before things go wrong. So we've started on that now to improve accountability in the health boards.

“We need that conversation about what is the best setup for health provision in Wales.”

On the issue of hospital transport, Mr ap Gwynfor said it was something that concerned him and that he is working with transport minister Mark Hooper to develop services.

Speaking on graduate nurses gaining employment, he added: “I’m really pleased to be meeting some of the nursing graduates in Aberystwyth who are now embarking on their careers with NHS Wales.

“I fully recognise how worrying the situation has been for newly qualified healthcare professionals waiting to start their careers. The progress we've made since the Graduate Summit shows what can be achieved, but there is still much work to be done, especially for midwifery graduates, and we remain committed to helping graduates into employment and retaining their skills within NHS Wales.”