An under-fire health board has responded to concerns over a recruitment freeze aimed at shedding 350 jobs. It comes as Cardiff and Vale University Health Board faces intense criticism over its management of the nation's biggest hospital, Heath's University Hospital of Wales.
Days ago WalesOnline revealed hundreds of doctors had sent a scathing letter to the health board's bosses over severely inadequate facilities, "all-time low" morale, and various other problems. One issue they described as "deeply concerning" was "the recent decision to freeze recruitment following a year-long vacancy freeze".
They revealed the health board was planning to reduce its workforce by around 350 posts to release £4.2m by March 2026 "with further reductions to follow".
The letter - from almost 300 consultants in the senior medical and dental staff committee - claimed the recruitment freeze had been announced without consulting them.
The health board has now responded by telling WalesOnline it has "a statutory duty to operate to a balanced financial position and demonstrate effective use of public funds".
Its spokesman said: "The size and scale of the financial challenge has resulted in the need to bring effective scrutiny to bear on the appointment of roles across the organisation.
"Every role undertakes two layers of scrutiny, at clinical board level and at executive level, on a range of criteria including quality and safety. Quality of care and safety for patients remains of great importance to us.
"A full vacancy freeze has not been achieved. Posts that are considered essential to the delivery of safe and effective care and/or are funded externally through grant or other funding mechanisms have been approved.
"We are committed to engaging with senior medical staff colleagues and fully acknowledge the legitimacy of the concerns raised."
The health board did not answer our question on which departments or roles would be affected by the freeze.
We understand the damning letter - which you can read in its entirety here - was sent after an extraordinary meeting of nearly 300 consultants who expressed "deep anxiety" about the state of patient care and agreed "urgent" action is needed.
"Morale among consultants and the wider workforce is at an all-time low," it reads. "High attrition rates, combined with a perception of inaction on staff feedback and wellbeing, are leading to burnout, recruitment challenges, and risks to patient safety."
The doctors describe a "firefighting" culture focused on "short-term fixes" and a "proliferation of middle management, frequent circular meetings without outcomes, and a lack of visible long term strategic direction".
There are "persistent" issues with sewage leaks, water damage, and poor cleanliness despite repeated reports from senior clinical staff, according to the letter, which claims years of underfunding have "compounded" the problem and that there is no clear plan to fix it.
You can read more about the key issues highlighted in the letter and the health board's crisis-hit year here.