Live updates as review of maternity services at Swansea Bay University Health Board is published

An independent review into maternity services at Swansea Bay University Health Board is due to be published today. Maternity services at the board were placed under increased monitoring in 2023 over concerns for the care given to mothers and babies at Singleton Hospital when inspectors found several areas in need of immediate improvement.

Families have been campaigning for years for improvements with some wanting the whole of Swansea Bay University Health Board’s maternity services to be scrapped and restarted. Many have shared heart-breaking stories of their experiences and the physical and psychological trauma they endured.

In 2023, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) listed a number of concerns including that one emergency theatre space was described as unfit for purpose and mothers weren't able to get timely pain relief. Staff were disillusioned, undervalued and disconnected with hospital leadership and they noted around 300 reports of incidents without proper evidence that lessons have been learned

In 2024, Margaret Bowron KC, who had been appointed by Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB) as chair of a panel overseeing the independent review resigned after calls from families for her to do so. Stay informed on the latest health news by signing up to our newsletter here

In May this year, Llais, which represents patients in Wales, published a report based on more than 500 people's experiences of maternity and neonatal services at the hospital. That heard of failings in safety, quality of care and respect at almost every stage of care.

The mothers' experiences led some of them to question and even change future family planning decisions, and in some instances left physical and psychological trauma. One of the 515