'Angels' celebrate 20 years of helping sickest patients 24 hours a day
29 May 2026
“Thank you for giving me my life back” – those are the words of a Carmarthenshire woman who has expressed her gratitude to Hywel Dda University Health Board’s Acute Response Team (ART) for the opportunity and care they gave her.
ART, which has recently celebrated 20 years of service, is part of the community nursing team, working closely with district nurses.
It offers round the clock care for people with serious illnesses or who require end of life care. This can include administering intravenous antibiotics, changing catheters and making sure people who are in pain can be made as comfortable as possible.
Rachel, 35 from Laugharne in Carmarthenshire has a very complex medical condition and had spent three-and-a-half years in hospital meaning she couldn’t spend the time she wanted to with her young son.
In February 2025 she made a life-changing decision, with the support of clinicians and ART, to see if her condition could be treated at her home.
“I made the decision that it was my time to take back some control over my life and come home,” said Rachel. “This was one of the hardest and scariest decisions that I have ever had to make. Not knowing if it was going to work, learning to trust new professionals was going to be my biggest challenge of all.
“But here we are today, 14 months on, it truly was the best decision of my life and I haven’t looked back.
“Because of the care, support and dedication ART gave me, I’ve been able to have something I wasn’t sure I’d ever have again: a better quality of life. I’m not just surviving any more, I’m living and it’s their service that’s kept me well enough to keep me out of hospital.
“Most importantly I’m home with my son and that has been my only wish for many years and I’m so glad our memories we make now are not involving hospitals.”
ART was established in Carmarthenshire in 2006 – it was the only service of its kind in Wales at the time offering a 24‑hour intravenous antibiotic and out of hours Community Nursing service.
Craig Jones, ART Community Clinical Lead Nurse said: “Over the past 20 years, this service has supported thousands of people across Carmarthenshire. Many families have said we are like angels, turning up in patients and families’ hour of need.
“We have prevented countless hospital admissions, over the past 20 years and we have facilitated more than 6,000 early discharges from our hospitals for patients receiving intravenous antibiotics, ensuring that patients with complex infections receive timely, expert care day or night, in all seasons, and often in all weathers.”
In 2010, following the success of the service in Carmarthenshire, the Acute Response Team model expanded into Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.
“We have been there for people at some of the most worrying moments of their lives,” Craig continued. “We have reassured families, upheld dignity, and made care feel personal. I am so proud of how we work seamlessly with our Community Nursing (District nursing).”
Sharon Daniel, Director of Nursing, Quality and Patient Experience at Hywel Dda said: “I would like to congratulate the Acute Response Team for everything it has achieved over the last 20 years.
“The service is a perfect example of Hywel Dda’s values in action - working together across acute, community, primary care, and urgent care. ART puts people at the centre of everything they do by bringing those under our care essential treatment into their own homes and striving to deliver the best through advanced practice and specialised nursing skills.”
ENDS