September 15, 2026 - 333 views
A care home nurse from Anglesey has become the first in Wales to qualify to prescribe medication to residents, in what care leaders say could point to a new way of delivering social care.
Ezelina Dacruz, who has worked at Glan Rhos Nursing Home in Brynsiencyn for 21 years, gained her Nurse Independent Prescriber qualification while continuing her role as clinical lead at the 52-bed home.
Her achievement was recognised with a special Wales Care Award at a celebration at Glan Rhos.
The award was presented by Ynys Môn MP Llinos Medi, alongside Senedd members Elfed Williams and Mair Rowlands. Ezelina's husband, consultant in diabetes and endocrinology Thomas Dacruz, and their ten-year-old son Joshua were also there.
Originally from Malawi, Ezelina qualified as a nurse in 2000 and moved to work at Glan Rhos, where she has continued to develop her career.
She said the prescribing qualification would help residents receive treatment more quickly when they became unwell.
As clinical lead, Ezelina already deals with GP callouts and electronic consultations for residents. She said being able to prescribe herself would make the process easier and could reduce delays in getting medication.
The qualification was funded by Glan Rhos, which also gave her time and support to study. She attended classes, completed assignments and essays and sat examinations alongside her work.
She also praised Penbryn Surgery, whose GPs supported her as supervisors and assessors during the course.
Ezelina said she was "deeply grateful" to receive the award and described the qualification as hard work which took up much of her free time.
Care Forum Wales chair Mario Kreft MBE said Ezelina was a "trailblazer" and that her achievement could provide a blueprint for the future of social care.
He said prescribing nurses could help reduce unnecessary GP callouts and hospital admissions, while allowing residents to receive treatment more quickly.
Kim Ombler, registered manager at Glan Rhos, said the qualification would be particularly valuable at weekends, when accessing out-of-hours medical services can take longer.
She said it could also help ease pressure on the NHS by reducing hospital admissions and the need for ambulances to take care home residents to hospital.
Glan Rhos is run by sisters Kim and Helen Ombler and their brother David, and employs 78 people.
Llinos Medi said the home was an example of the importance of small and medium-sized businesses to the Welsh economy, particularly in rural communities.
She also highlighted the importance of social care businesses to local employment and family life.
Ezelina's achievement comes as care homes across Wales face increasing pressure to provide more healthcare within residential settings, while the NHS deals with demand for GP appointments, ambulance services and hospital beds.
Care leaders believe giving suitably qualified nurses prescribing responsibilities could help care homes respond more quickly when residents become unwell, while potentially reducing pressure on other parts of the health service.
