The key priorities facing Hywel Dda NHS Trust in its first year are the restructuring of the NHS, achieving financial break even and ensuring that the right services are put in place for patients across the three counties of Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.

This was the message from chief executive, Martin Turner, at the Trust's first annual general meeting held at Hafan Derwen in Carmarthen, last Friday.

Said Mr. Turner: "This is an opportunity for the Trust to free itself of the historic debt that has beleaguered it for so long, to set up the right structures to serve a 21st century healthcare organisation and to be in a strong position to build modern and effective services with the support of clinicians and doctors.

"The challenge is to build a patient orientated, but cost conscious culture, within the new Trust that will focus on providing every patient with right care, at the right time and in the right place," he continued.

To help to meet these challenges, the Trust has set up a Service and Cost Improvement Team responsible to identify areas where improvements can be made. A range of healthcare professionals have also been brought together to pinpoint further improvements and to act as a sounding board for ideas generated by Trust staff and external stakeholders.

Said Mr. Turner: "This work will not be easy, and there are many challenges ahead, but it is crucial to developing more sustainable services for the future. This is a high priority for the Trust in order to ensure that high quality and efficient services can be provided to the people with whom it serves."

At the AGM, the annual reports for each of three former NHS organisations highlighted areas of good practice that can now be shared across the whole of the new Trust.

Carmarthenshire NHS Trust achieved all of its waiting times targets for 2007/08.

Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust also met all its interim targets set for 2007/08 and its key achievements include -

An improved hospital environment; the roll-out of the Protected Mealtime Initiative for patients; a new Outpatients Department at Withybush General Hospital; a new 1.5 Telsa MRI Scanner; the start of construction of a new £10.3M Emergency and Urgent Care Centre; the construction of two new theatres, an investment of £3.2M; South Pembrokeshire Health and Social Care Resource Centre with integrated working with Social Services and Tenby New Cottage Hospital.