AN INQUIRY into the University Hospital of Wales' emergency unit has uncovered a culture of "bullying, harassment and inappropriate behaviour".

A three month investigation - launched by Cardiff and Vale Health Board and also including assessments of Llandough Hospital and Barry's minor injuries unit - resulted in a damning report which paints a worrying picture of a job one senior nurse described as being akin to being in a "war zone".

Regional AM for the Vale of Glamorgan, Andrew RT Davies, has called for urgent action to be taken in relieving the "immense pressure" frontline hospital staff are under.

The review, which stated that there was an "ongoing significant risk of harm to patients based on the current arrangement of care" at the hospital found that - as well a culture of bullying - staff experienced emotional distress, feelings of hopelessness, and a lack of care from management.

There were also concerns about staff shortages, stress-related absences and a disproportionate amount of pressure being placed upon staff to deliver targets.

Other complaints involved patient care issues such as people being made to wait extremely long periods to be offloaded from ambulances into "overcrowded and unsuitable" environments.

Cardiff and Vale health board said it fully accepted the findings of the report.

Health board chief executive Adam Cairns said: "The report is hard-hitting and as such should encourage everyone to understand that we have an unrelenting focus on facing our challenges head on.

"We will now focus on our response, working together in partnership with our staff and their representatives, mindful that this band of dedicated and passionate staff must be supported, always remembering that it is they who are there for us when we are most in need."

Tina Donnelly, director of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales, described a "great sense of relief" that the concerns raised by staff have been substantiated in the report's findings.

“The nursing profession is one that experiences significant pressures whilst working to meet the needs of their patients and the expectations of the public," she said.

“These pressures are exacerbated when nurses are additionally confronted with stressful working conditions, which occur when there is inadequate staffing and inappropriate conduct on behalf of managers.

“This may often have a detrimental effect on their personal health and their ability to fulfil their roles. This is unacceptable.

“The report highlighted that under the current patient care arrangements patients have also been put at risk. This too is unacceptable."

She said that it was "a testament to the resilience, tenacity and ability of the emergency services staff" hat the report found no evidence of a patient being harmed in spite of the pressurised working conditions.

Welsh Conservative leader and South Wales Central AM Andrew RT Davies said that he wants to see frontline staff receive an apology and a "cast-iron guarantee" that change is coming urgently.

“The Labour government manages our health service and Labour ministers must intervene and ensure that the report’s recommendations are implemented in full," he said.

“Welsh A and E units are already under immense pressure as a result of Labour's record-breaking budget cuts and haven't met their targets since Carwyn Jones became First Minister in 2009; the last thing that hardworking staff need is to be bullied and harassed.

“Working environments like this put patient safety at risk, damage staff morale and knock public confidence in our health service. Patients across the region deserve better.

“This report provides further evidence of the need for a Wales-wide independent inquiry into the NHS, which would root out bad practice and safeguard our health service for future generations.”