Filling vacant posts across areas including nursing and dentistry remains a challenge for the NHS in Wales. Latest figures (to March 2004) show 1,279 NHS posts in Wales had been vacant for three months or more.
That meant there were 23% more vacancies than six months earlier.
A shortage of NHS dentists was highlighted when hundreds of people queued to register in towns across Wales when new practices opened.
Labour said it had doubled NHS investment, helping it to recruit 5,000 more nurses and 350 more hospital doctors, and was spending more on training and recruiting dentists.
 | NHS STAFF VACANCIES IN WALES 1,279 NHS posts (2.1%) vacant for three months or more 564 (2.1%) vacancies in nursing, midwifery and health visiting 186 (7.9%) vacancies in medical and dental 135 (8.8%) consultant posts vacant Source: Welsh assembly |
In south Wales, former nurses have been encouraged to regain their skills and return to work through a free 12-week training course.
An open day was organised at Barry hospital, in the Vale of Glamorgan, where the hospital trust has more than 300 nursing posts vacant.
Nurses were given details of flexible working and help with childcare.
Kathryn Elias, from Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, said: "To train a nurse takes three years... we can retrain a nurse in six months.
"The initiatives are vital to have continuity of care and to ensure we have nurses fit for purpose is a top priority."
Plaid Cymru has also pledged to ensure the retention of nurses and said one of its priorities was to ensure everyone in Wales had access to an NHS dentist.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats said the party would tackle staff shortages by providing a grant to newly-qualified health professionals to work in areas where there is a shortage and would save money by cutting down on the use of agency staff.
The Welsh Conservatives said Wales will "benefit significantly" from a �34bn investment across the UK health service.
Doctors on call
Being on call has always been part of a doctor's job - but not any more.
Following changes in doctors' work contracts, the 22 local health boards in Wales have responsibility for making sure patients can access the care they need out of normal surgery hours.
Did patients notice any difference? Some said they did.
In Tywyn, Gwynedd, 3,000 people signed a petition protesting at the changes in their area.
 Around 600 people queued for an NHS dentist in Carmarthen in 2003 |
Primecare, a company which provides out-of-hours health cover in parts of south Wales, announced it would recruit more doctors and call centre workers after complaints from patients about the level of service.
Patients in different parts of Wales continue to voice concerns and out-of-hours care is an issue which is not going to go away.
Labour has said that after some "localised problems", the current situation "is one of improving performance".
The other parties have criticised current out-of-hours provision, however, and have put forward alternative plans for services.
Plaid Cymru said it would encourage trusts to cover out-of-hours services and would have a "presumption against private companies without a track record in health care provision".
The Welsh Liberal Democrats unveiled a plan which would see ambulances taking patients to the most appropriate treatment facility, instead of turning up at busy A&E departments.
The Conservatives, who said changes to out-of-hours services had been rushed, pledged a greater use of walk-in centres in the Welsh NHS.
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