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A time of reflection and recovery for NHS staff

Reflection and recovery is the theme for Hywel Dda University Health Board’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) this year. The event will be held on Thursday, 29th July 2021 at 1.30pm (livestream details below).

It gives us an opportunity to reflect on the past year which was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as review the achievements and challenges throughout the year and set the direction for the year to come.

The annual event will include a trailer of an exciting new podcast series featuring a range of staff from across the health board talking about their experiences of working during the pandemic.

The ‘Hywel Dda Podcasts’ series will be released over the coming weeks.

Maria Battle, Chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “It is incredibly important that as a Board we always take the time to listen to our staff who have been at the heart of the pandemic and learn from their experiences, so we can recover from the pandemic as individuals, as an organisation and as a community.

The series reflects the diverse workforce with staff from all three counties, Welsh as well as English speakers, clinical as well as support roles, a radiologist who is actively involved in our staff black and minority ethnic group, and a member of staff who had to shield.

The staff who contributed were:

  • Katherine Lewis - Team Manager Older Adult Community Mental Health Team (Pembrokeshire)
  • Hashim Samir - Consultant Radiologist (Carmarthen)
  • Euryl Howells - Senior Chaplain (Health Board wide)
  • Victoria Evans - Maternity Unit Coordinator / Senior Midwife (Carmarthen)
  • Mererid Davies - Pediatric Speech and Language Therapist (Ceredigion)
  • Amber Davies - Healthcare Apprentice / Healthcare Support Worker (Carmarthen)
  • Heidi Blofield – Senior Sister (Carmarthen)

Maternity Unit Coordinator and Senior Midwife, Victoria Evans said: “It has been a challenging time for everyone including myself and doing the podcast was a way of reflecting and motivating others to stay positive as we move forward in our roles.”

Steve Moore, Chief Executive at Hywel Dda University Health Board added: “After such an unprecedented year I want to express my sincere gratitude to our staff, partners and communities for everything you have done and are still doing to keep Hywel Dda safe.

“The pandemic has opened opportunities for us to work differently and collaboratively in a way we have never seen before, which I believe will help us in improving local healthcare in the future.”

The health board’s Annual Report, including summary accounts and the Hywel Dda Health Charities Report, will also be presented to the AGM, outlining the achievements and challenges throughout the year, and how the health board has managed and responded to the pandemic, as well as looking ahead to the future and how it intends to improve services for local people.

To join the AGM on Thursday 29th July 2021 at 1.30pm follow the link to the livestream join the event which will be livestreamed via this link: Annual General Meeting Agenda and Papers - 29 July 2021 - Hywel Dda University Health Board (nhs.wales)

The ‘Hywel Dda Podcasts’ series will be released over the coming weeks at https://hyweldda.libsyn.com.