WARD sisters are back in business at Hereford County Hospital.

The numbers are going up from three to eight and every ward will have one of its own.

Their roles are expected to change too, cutting back on paper work and working 'hands on' with patients.

The new emphasis on sisters and the importance of their work was confirmed at a meeting of Hereford Hospitals Trust.

It is hoped the new sister-led nursing service will start at the County Hospital in April.

At the moment, the hospital has three sisters for seven wards - making each sister responsible for 50 patients and between 50 and 60 staff.

Lynne Kedward, the trusts's acting director of nursing and quality, told the Hereford Times that at the moment sisters were rarely visible on the wards.

"They are pushed into offices for a significant part of their working week,'' she said.

It was now time to put back some clinical leadership and the sisters would focus on making sure they were always on top of what was happening in their wards.

Mrs Kedward said there were very good nurses working on the wards but having sisters on the spot gave them the chance to raise many issues when problems arose.

There would still be paper work but it would be shared out between more of them, giving sisters time to become actively involved in clinical work in the wards.

It was a positive move for patients and for nurses it was a boost to their career structure.

More sisters meant more opportunities for nurses as they completed their training, giving a chance to advance in their careers.

Junior sisters already working at the hospital were expected to be considered for the new posts.