Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:25 pm on 21 January 2020.
Thank you, Minister, for your statement today. It certainly suggests that there have been some green shoots of progress in terms of putting things right at Cwm Taf Morgannwg maternity services. I'm also really grateful that you've engaged with women and families and with staff, including families from my own constituency, who have engaged with such dignity in the process to try to ensure that no other families experience the kind of loss that they have endured. They'll know who they are, as I mention them here today, and my thoughts remain very firmly with them and with all other families affected.
You mentioned the clinical review process, and I agree it's really important that the family voice is heard within this. I know there have been some concerns around records being re-examined so we can get to the core of what went wrong. What assurances can you give around that specifically? I note also your comments around expecting rapid and sustainable improvements in the response to patient concerns and complaints, and I'd like to strongly add my support to that. When I raise casework issues with the health board on a variety of things, not just maternity issues, I am often surprised at how long it can take for complaints to be responded to, let alone resolved. What do you think improvements in this process would look like? Are there any examples of best practice of health boards dealing with complaints? And how will this be monitored so that any trends or patterns can be identified?