6. Will the First Minister make a statement on midwifery practices in Wales? OAQ(5)0483(FM

Midwives play a vital role in supporting women through their childbirth experience. Every woman has a named midwife to provide individualised care during pregnancy. The £95 million health education funding package recently announced includes a 40 per cent increase in midwifery training places, and that is the highest level of midwifery training places commissioned since devolution.

Thank you, First Minister. The Royal College of Midwives report this year highlighted the growing age of the midwifery workforce and the need to ensure we replace those highly skilled and dedicated workers when they retire. As you said, the news of the 40 per cent increase in the number of university places for student midwives in the coming academic year and the continuing support for bursaries is very welcome. Commitments like this are essential to ensure that our maternity services attract more midwives over the coming years, so that they can deliver safe, high-quality care for women and babies. Will the Welsh Government pay tribute to the dedicated midwifery workforce that we have and will the Government work with health boards and trade unions to make sure that those approaching retirement can pass on their valuable skills and experience to the next generation of midwives?

Yes, absolutely. It’s why, of course, we have increased the number of midwife training places. We know that it’s hugely important to invest in the workforce of the future by making that investment now, rather than wait to a time when we find that we have a demographic problem with the workforce. We’re making that investment now on the part of the people of Wales.

I will also draw the First Minister’s attention to a letter that I received from the WI branch in Llangoed, in my constituency, which makes the case for investment in midwifery services. They are particularly concerned about the sustainability of the workforce. Yes, you say that there has been investment in more training places, but does the First Minister agree with me that unless we see a significant increase in the training places available in Wales, it will be impossible for us to provide for mothers and their families in the future with the kind of care that they need and deserve?

That’s right, and that’s why we’ve invested to ensure that there are more places available. As I said, we’ve seen a 40 per cent increase in the number of training places available. And now, as I said earlier, we are at the highest level since 1999.

First Minister, you will be aware of the massive campaign a couple of years ago to ensure that we had appropriate midwifery services and a consultant-led maternity ward at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd. We previously welcomed the development proposals for the sub-regional neonatal intensive care centre, and it would be really appreciated if you could just update Members here today as to how well that is progressing and how that will lead to providing a first-class consultant-led midwifery service to us in north Wales.

The Member is talking about the SuRNICC and the SuRNICC, of course, is a specialist unit. As Members will recall, the original proposal was to move those services to Arrowe Park Hospital. I took the view that we had to review that decision to see if it was possible and safe for that service to be delivered in Wales, and sure enough, the SuRNICC is the result of that. It’s progressing well in terms of recruitment and in terms of building and I look forward to the SuRNICC opening on the site of Glan Clwyd.

First Minister, during the previous Assembly, the Welsh Government increased the number of student midwifery places. However, in the latest ‘State of Midwifery Services Report’, the Royal College of Midwives states that it is no longer appropriate to maintain a steady number of training places, as the midwifery population is ageing. What plans does your Government have to increase the number of training places for student midwives in Wales?

As I said in my answer to the original question, the health education funding package that was announced recently does include a 40 per cent increase in midwifery training places.