Hywel Dda NHS Trust is one of only two NHS Trusts in Wales to be ranked as one of the best places for nurses to work in the UK.
Following a survey compiled by nurses working in both the public and private sectors, Hywel Dda NHS Trust and North Wales NHS Trust are featured in the prestigious Health Service Journal and Nursing Times Top 100 Employers list for 2009.
The award recognises excellence in areas such as flexible working, equality and diversity and training and development.
Hywel Dda NHS Trust is one of the largest employers in West Wales, employing a total of 9,136 staff across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. Almost 3,000 members of staff are employed within nursing or midwifery roles. Many nursing staff work in the Trust's acute hospitals; Bronglais, Prince Philip, West Wales or Withybush, or within the Trust's eight community hospitals. Others work in the community, in health centres or within mental health services.
The Trust's director of human resources, Janet Wilkinson, said: "Congratulations to all the hospital staff and managers involved in this fantastic achievement. We are extremely proud that our hospitals are considered such excellent places to work, and have no doubt it is the professionalism and dedication of the staff that contribute to such a positive working environment."
Director of nursing and quality improvement, Caroline Oakley, added: "Being included in this prestigious list is a real boost to the Trust and the fact that the results were based on staff votes gives it important credibility. We have a strong nursing voice in our hospitals - nurses are involved at every stage in designing and delivering top-quality services. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our hard-working staff, many of whom go above and beyond the call of duty, for their continued commitment to patient care."
The Top 100 list is compiled through questionnaires filled in by the hospitals and their employees, which are then analysed by the Health Service Journal and Nursing Times.