Faugh a Ballagh!

We’d like to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to members of the Royal Irish Regiment who have been pivotal in supporting our COVID-19 testing programme over the last few months.

Soldiers from the Royal Irish have supported the health board in delivering antigen and antibody testing for key workers and members of the public, as well as providing logistical support and assisting our long term care and infection prevention and control teams with the testing of care home residents and staff. They have also worked closely with our Covid Command Centre, which has been pivotal in generating and co-ordinating all testing requests.

Glenna Jones, Clinical and Operational Lead for the health board’s Clinical Testing Units (CTUs), said: “I would like to extend my gratitude to every member of the Royal Irish Regiment for their dedication and resilience in supporting our testing programme over the last few months. They have responded to every challenge and task asked of them in a flexible and professional manner. In these unprecedented times we have worked together across all disciplines to deliver a service that supports public health and protection, for which we are truly grateful. We could never have done this without you - diolch yn fawr iawn.”

Simon Hancock, Independent Board Member and Armed Forces Champion for Hywel Dda, added: “The support that the Royal Irish Regiment has provided to our testing teams since the Covid-19 pandemic began has been absolutely invaluable and is a shining example of what can be achieved through partnership working between members of the Armed Forces, the NHS and social care providers. My deepest thanks go to all.”