The chief executive of Powys Teaching Health Board(PTHB) has paid tribute to the "hard work, commitment and passion" of her staff following the publication of the organisation's annual review.

The Annual Quality Statement, released by PTHB, sets out how the organisation delivers its services and how it has performed against it's long-term objectives over the past year.

"We would like to acknowledge the hard work, commitment and passion of our staff who make great efforts to deliver safe, effective and dignified care," said Carol Shillabeer.

"Collaboration is key to delivering healthcare for the people of Powys and we continue to undertake extensive engagement with residents, third sector, League of Friends, primary care contractors, independent sector, neighbouring health boards and trusts and our local authority colleagues.

"As part of this joint approach, it is essential that we listen to people and allow the public to play their part in setting our priorities, shaping our services and making decisions about the lives they wish to lead. We recognise empowering people who use our services will increase our ability and accountability in delivering public services," she added.

The report highlights the organisation's successes over the past twelve months, including a reduction in cases of bed-sores for patients, as well as the commencement of a two-year influenza programme which started in October 2018.

The health board also says it has continued to work towards providing care closer to home for Powys residents, citing the opening of a new paediatric audiology suite at Brecon Hospital Children’s Centre as an example.

However, the report also showed that several of the commissioned bodies that provide healthcare services to PTHB have fallen into special measures, including Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, one of the main providers of secondary care for North Powys.

"As PTHB has no District General Hospital a range of services, across all ages, spanning all specialities and emergency and planned care must be commissioned from surrounding health boards and NHS Trusts across England and Wales," the report said.

"Powys is continuously collaborating with 15 other main NHS organisations in order to meet the needs of patients in a highly rural area, however there is considerable fragility across particular providers and specialities."

Betsi Cadwaladr, Cwm Taf and Wye Valley health trusts were also identified as either being in special measures or requiring improvement in some commissioned services.

The health board reported 55 serious incidents in 2018/19, pressure ulcers and infection control outbreaks affecting staff and patients identified as being most common. There were no so-called "never events", patient safety incidents which should not occur if preventative measures have been put in place, during the past twelve months.

PTHB also said replacement services had been put in place following the closure of the Chronic Pain Service at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital in Gobowen, with arrangements now in place for a "small number" of patients for whom the new service was not suitable.

"The (new) service, which cover the whole of Powys, looks at all aspects of a person’s pain experience and its impact on their day-to-day functioning both physical and psychological," the report says.

"It was agreed that patients needing such care would be transferred to the Powys Pain Manage Service.

"The service also has arrangements in place for the small number of patients whose clinical needs cannot be met in county," it added.