Breastfeeding Rates

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 3:28 pm on 13 March 2019.

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Photo of Andrew RT Davies Andrew RT Davies Conservative 3:28, 13 March 2019

Breastfeeding is a critical campaign tool that the Welsh Government should be promoting across all newborns' mothers. I'm someone who wants to join in that campaign—my wife, a former midwife, obviously knows the benefits of that. But the one thing we lack is a workforce of midwives in the Cwm Taf health board area that is fully manned, if you like, with midwives there to help expectant mums. We know that Cwm Taf have had problems; we know Cwm Taf has the lowest take-up rate of breastfeeding of all the health board areas. Can you update us today, Minister, as to what the staffing arrangements will be amongst midwives in the Cwm Taf health board area in light of Healthcare Inspectorate Wales's comments yesterday? Because, as I'm led to believe, there are still gaps and there are still vacancies, and we can talk all we want about the positives around breastfeeding, but, if you haven't got the midwives in place, then that support that expectant mums would require is just not going to be there.