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The Liberal Democrats will today unveil an election pledge to ensure Wales has sufficient numbers of nurses on mental health and maternity wards and in the community.

Today’s commitment builds on the provisions in the More Nurses Bill, proposed by Welsh Lib Dem leader Kirsty Williams, which contains measures to make Wales “the first part of Europe with a legal duty to have sufficient nurse staffing levels on acute hospital wards”.

'We all want NHS staff to have the time to care for our loved ones'

Ms Williams said: “The Welsh Liberal Democrats will make Wales a world leader for patient care. Our Bill, which becomes law today, will deliver more nurses on acute hospital wards.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats have ensured that Wales becomes the first part of Europe with a legal duty for staffing levels.

"We will build on this success by extending the law to include mental health wards, maternity wards, and community nurses.

“In the forthcoming election, the Welsh Liberal Democrats will show that we have listened to people’s concerns.

"We all want NHS staff to have the time to care for our loved ones, which is why the Welsh Liberal Democrats will deliver safe staffing levels across the NHS.”

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Kirsty: 'People don't expect miracles'

The Lib Dems claim there are 10.5 patients per nurse in Wales, compared with 8.5 in England and 7.2 in Northern Ireland.

Ms Williams added: “The premise of our policy is simple: nurses who have fewer patients to care for can spend more time with each patient.

"People don’t expect miracles, but they do expect a good quality health service that treats people with dignity.

“I am sick and tired of only ever reading bad news stories about our NHS. The Welsh Liberal Democrats’ More Nurses Bill offered Wales a good news story and now we want to build on that.

“For too long patients’ views have been side-lined and ignored. We’ll put patients front and centre of our health service.”

Gofal pushes for top quality care in hospitals and in the community

Ewan Hilton, chief executive of mental health charity Gofal, said: “People experiencing mental health problems should have access to the best possible care, including appropriate nurse staffing levels on mental health wards and well trained professionals who can deliver high quality treatment and support.

"However, it is also crucial that community services are well staffed and resourced, so that people with mental health problems are supported to make successful transitions from hospital to home – and stay out of hospital in the future.

“While we welcome proposals that seek to improve mental health services in hospitals, it is important that this does not take resources away from community based services.

"We would like to see more people benefiting from effective early intervention, receiving treatment and support at home, and avoiding hospital admission wherever possible.”