4. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board Clinical Review Update

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:26 pm on 2 February 2021.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 4:26, 2 February 2021

In terms of your final point, I was trying to make this point in response to David Melding, and I think Vikki Howells as well, that we are deliberately looking at how we use the maternity network to share learning. This isn't just a learning opportunity for one health board; it's a learning opportunity for the whole service, and to consider and to think about how we make sure that we do deliver a high-quality level of maternity care in every part of Wales. The context may alter slightly, but actually, every health board will have a population that it serves that has higher levels of deprivation. Every health board will have a part of its population that lives in a more rural environment or an urban or town or city environment; well, a town environment at least. So, we have challenges that may vary by degree, but actually, the quality of care should be something that every health board can deliver, a high quality of care, and this is an important opportunity not to be put to one side.

And I do think that it's helpful to finish on a positive note about what needs to be done, but about the commitment that exists there, because when I met staff at the outset of this, there were very unhappy people, people who were worried, and people who recognised that the communities they live in largely had not been well served in every instance, and they were upset about the organisation they worked for as well. Many of them, as I said, didn't feel proud to wear the uniform in public, and a regular point of concern that was made to me was, 'Who will want to work here? We're understaffed, and who will want to work here now?' And yet, actually, Cwm Taf Morgannwg has been successful at recruiting people into its organisation. It is now in a position where it doesn't have failures in Birthrate Plus, and those are being openly communicated. That was one of the challenges about the previous management that I have already indicated in the past that I was particularly unhappy with.

So, we now have a better position on staffing, we have a workforce that I think is committed to continued improvement in the future, and that positive change in the environment and in the culture is what I hope we'll see more of in a continued way that will be embedded, and once again, people who go to Cwm Taf Morgannwg for their maternity care now should have confidence in the quality of care and expect the same high quality of care that each and every one of our constituents should expect and be entitled to.