Apology over 'distress, trauma and pain' at maternity wards

WOMEN and families were subjected to “inconsistent” care in maternity and neonatal services at Swansea Bay University Health Board, with complaints being dealt with poorly and without compassion, a damning report has revealed.

- RUTH MOSALSKI Political editor

As an independent review into services at Swansea Bay University Health Board (UHB) was published yesterday, health secretary Jeremy Miles announced a national assessment of all maternity and neonatal services in Wales will begin this month.

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.

The health board, meanwhile, issued a “heartfelt and unreserved apology” admitting it did not offer the appropriate care to mothers and their children and “did not listen”.

Women who used the maternity and neonatal services spoke of their experiences, including being told they couldn't access mental health support, birth partners missing births or babies delivered in the absence of midwives, and women who tragically lost babies told while on their own.

One woman said: “I thought I was going to die, and my baby was going to die.”

Another said speaking about her experiences had taken “years” for her to feel able to do.

“Each year on my child's birthday I feel retraumatised by what happened,” she said.

In one case, the review team felt there was significant delay in recognising early signs of sepsis in a preterm baby and when sepsis was then suspected there was a delay in giving antibiotics, despite clear signs the baby was “significantly compromised by infection”.

The baby died shortly after treatment commenced.

“The review team felt the delay in treating infection, despite clear signs, contributed to the death,” it says.

The review lays bare issues that have plagued the health board for years.

Families have campaigned for improvements, with some calling for Swansea Bay UHB's maternity services to be scrapped and restarted. Many shared heartbreaking stories of their experiences and the physical and psychological trauma they endured.