Press release from the Hywel Dda University Health Board:
We would like to wish our Chair, Mrs Bernardine Rees OBE, well following her decision to retire from Hywel Dda University Health Board.
Announcing her decision Mrs Rees said:“It is with the deepest of regret that due to health issues, I have decided to retire from my role as Chairman of Hywel Dda University Health Board. It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as Chairman for the organisation during the past five years.
“I feel confident that the organisation, under Steve Moore’s leadership, is in a position to move ahead with an exciting health and care strategy, approved by Board in November last year, which will see lasting improvements to the health and well-being of our local population.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff for their dedication, hard work and continued commitment to providing the best possible care for our population. I have been fortunate in my position to have met so many of you and to have heard first hand the difference you make for our patients, whether that is through providing front-line care or in supportive roles, which are critical to the NHS. I have always been so proud of your achievements and your tenacity to overcome challenges and put the patient at the centre of your work and this is what motivated me to start the Employee of the Month scheme. It has been my privilege entirely.
“I would like also like to thank those whom I worked closely with for their support to me personally as the Chairman of Hywel Dda and I wish you all the very best for the future.”
Bernardine will step down from her role as Chairman on 28th February 2019 and in the interim Vice Chair Judith Hardisty will take up the role of Acting Chair. Board Secretary, Joanne Wilson, will work with Welsh Government to commence the recruitment process for the substantive post.
Chief Executive Steve Moore said: “I would like to pay tribute to Bernardine, a colleague and a friend whom I admire greatly and will sorely miss. Bernardine has spent her entire career dedicated to the NHS first through her nursing, then in managerial and Executive roles and more recently, we have been fortunate enough to have benefited from her leadership and tenacity in the role as Chairman for Hywel Dda University Health Board.
“She has led this organisation to a position in which we have a clear health and care strategy, which gives us the foundation to transform and improve. She has also been a champion for our staff and I am sure she will be missed by many of you. We thank you Bernardine and we wish you all the best in the future.”
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