A national assessment of all maternity and neonatal services in Wales will begin this month, the Health Secretary confirmed today (Tuesday 15 July), as the independent review into services at Swansea Bay University Health Board is published
The all-Wales assurance assessment will be independently chaired and will take account of the findings of the recent reviews of maternity and neonatal services across the UK, including in Swansea Bay.
It will also consider the family-led report into maternity services at Swansea Bay, which was published on Monday, and align to the England-wide review.
Health Secretary Jeremy Miles has decided Swansea Bay University Health Board’s maternity and neonatal services will be escalated to the second highest level of intervention – level four – providing enhanced monitoring and support.
And the Welsh Government will be accepting all 11 recommendations in the independent review.
Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said:
“I want to offer a full and unreserved apology on behalf of the Welsh Government to all the women and families who have not received the service or care they deserved and expected from Swansea Bay University Health Board.
“The experiences highlighted today; those reflected in the recent Llais report and those I heard when I met families last month must never happen again.
“As a result of the issues raised, and the ongoing concerns from women and families about patient experience, staff attitudes and care provided, I am today increasing the escalation level of Swansea Bay’s maternity and neonatal services to level four.”
The first progress report from the maternity and neonatal safety programme has also been published today, highlighting improvements made against national safety indicators.
Mr Miles added:
“NHS maternity and neonatal services must learn from what has happened in Swansea Bay. Together, we must commit to delivering the best possible experiences and outcomes for all women during pregnancy and birth.
“All women and babies must receive good-quality, safe and compassionate care. Their voices must be heard during pregnancy and birth and they must be included in plans to improve services improvement.”
