Opposition parties have threatened to boycott the task force set up to investigate the flu crisis in Welsh hospitals.

During a meeting of the Assembly's health committee, Welsh health Secretary Jane Hutt was told that the causes of the crisis were obvious and that action - not more committees - is needed.

Assembly health chairman Kirsty Williams said she would ask Ms Hutt to reconsider acting as chair of a health task force and to find an independent and non-political figure.

Ms Williams also added that the task force must be told its proposals would be backed up by "hard cash".

"I will ask for Ms Hutt to reconsider chairing the task force and try to tie it in more closely with the work of the health committee," Ms Williams told BBC Wales.

"I do think we need to learn the lessons from those people at the sharp end and that is the right approach.

"A task force is all very well but it needs to know that Jane Hutt is willing to back it with some hard cash."



Criticism

Tory Assembly leader Nick Bourne has also criticised the report and Plaid Cymru's health spokesman Dr Dai Lloyd has refused to sit on the task force.

Ms Hutt has also been placed in a difficult position by the revelation that Morriston Hospital in Swansea was due to close for 48 hours to all but emergency admissions.

In the Assembly on Tuesday, Ms Hutt stated: "We have much to learn from this exercise, in particular how we can plan forward and manage these pressures."

The health secretary spent the winter visiting hospitals in a bid to come up with ways of solving the shortage of beds during the flu outbreak.

Her idea is to set up a task force involving politicians, doctors and nurses to come up with ways of solving the problem.

But the idea has come in for criticism from one nursing organisation.

Sharp end

Outlining her plans to tackle the crisis in the NHS Ms Hutt said she would be speaking to health managers at the "sharp end" in a bid to ensure there is no repeat of this winter's bed crisis.

"Some of these measures should be available in readiness for next year," said Ms Hutt.

"Others will be for the medium term."

But the leader of the Conservative group - Nick Borune - was far from convinced that such a body would reduce hospital waiting lists.

"Nurses pay is to go up and this has to be paid for from existing resources, which can only mean more cuts and more rises in waiting lists," he said.

"Can we expect anything from this administration other than a task force?"

Swansea GP - Dr Dai Lloyd - said he would also refuse to sit on the task force - saying the health service needed help now not later.

His sentiments were backed by Plaid Cymru's acting leader Ieaun Wyn Jones and Liberal Democrate Kirsty Williams.

"We should be talking about what we're going to do next winter - we should even be here discussing it now," said Miss Williams.

"This shouldn't have happened this winter. It happened last winter and we should have learnt the lessons then.

Blandness

"Unless we have the urgent action that has been urged upon you by all three parties here we'll all be sitting here again next year experiencing the same difficulties."

The Royal College of Nursing in Wales said it was disappointed at the "blandness" of Ms Hutt's statement on the flu crisis.

Liz Hewett, Welsh Secretary of the RCN said the health secretary "didn't tell us anything particularly new".

She said the task force was being asked to examine problems of the last three weeks which had already been well aired by a diverse range of people.