Llais responds to the publication of the All‑Wales Maternity and Neonatal Assurance Assessment Report
Llais, the independent statutory body representing people across health and social care in Wales, responds to the publication of the All‑Wales Maternity and Neonatal Assurance Assessment Report and is calling for urgent, decisive action to address the system‑wide issues it reveals.
The national assessment was commissioned following concerns highlighted through Llais’ Swansea Bay maternity report, which shared the experiences of more than 500 women and families and triggered a Wales‑wide review of maternity and neonatal services.
While the assessment highlights serious system-wide issues, it also identifies important strengths to build on. Many women and families described warm, compassionate and personalised care. Staff were often praised for their kindness and commitment even under great pressure. The report shows that the assessment team also saw positive cultures in many units, particularly in midwifery-led services, and some good practice in equity, diversity and inclusion. This shows that improvement is possible when the right conditions are in place.
At the same time, today’s report confirms the concerns raised with Llais were not isolated incidents, but part of consistent patterns across Wales. It highlights serious vulnerabilities in maternity and neonatal care, including:
Inconsistent triage and induction of labour models, leading to delays and variation in care.
Postnatal care that is widely insufficient, identified as one of the most significant gaps in people’s experiences.
Workforce shortages, skill‑mix issues and workforce modelling that has not kept pace with rising complexity.
Theatre capacity not keeping pace with the increase in caesarean births and inconsistent medical cover on labour wards.
Significant gaps in perinatal mental health support, including for partners and staff.
Fragmentation in neonatal services, particularly across South Wales.
Incident review processes that are slow, procedural and often traumatising for families.
Unclear national governance, with overlapping remits and a lack of real‑time monitoring.
Gaps in data, digital maturity, and research evidence, limiting the system’s ability to fully understand outcomes for women and babies
The assessment sets out key national actions needed to improve services, including a national perinatal oversight board, national service specifications for triage and induction, a national perinatal mental health pathway, a maternal medicine network, and a national neonatal cot configuration for Mid, West and South Wales.
How Llais has ensured women’s and families’ voices shaped this assessment
Following publication of the Swansea Bay report in May 2025, Llais took steps to ensure the concerns raised by women and families influenced national change:
Issued formal representations to all Health Boards, requiring reflection on key findings, clear feedback systems, transparent safety and quality monitoring, and implementation of the All‑Wales Perinatal Engagement Framework.
Held Health Boards to account for improving communication, strengthening MNVPs, enhancing postnatal mental health and breastfeeding support, and rolling out cultural competence training.
Contributed directly to the national assessment through the Stakeholder Panel and the Family & Community Voices Steering Group, ensuring lived experience shaped the review’s findings.
Prepared to host and chair the new Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership Cymru (MNVP Cymru), bringing together MNVP Chairs from across Wales as an early‑warning system rooted in lived experience.
Provided ongoing support and advocacy for families raising concerns through regional engagement and our complaints advocacy service.
Despite these efforts, the national assessment confirms families are still not consistently feeling the impact of improvements. There remains a gap between what services intend and what people experience.
Statement from Alyson Thomas, Chief Executive of Llais:
“Women and families across Wales trusted Llais with their stories. Today’s national assessment shows they were right to speak up. The same issues they told us about poor communication, inconsistent care, gaps in postnatal support, inadequate mental health provision and traumatising review processes, are occurring across Wales and must be addressed urgently.
“The voices of women and families helped shape this national assessment. Now they must lead the improvements that follow.
“Safe, respectful and compassionate maternity care must be a basic guarantee, no matter where in Wales you live.
“Llais will continue to ensure that what people tell us is heard clearly at the highest levels, and that Welsh Government and Health Boards act quickly, transparently and consistently to deliver the improvements families deserve.”