We are making significant progress, but we also recognise there is more to do, and we remain committed to improving perinatal mental health services, and this has been a priority area for action within our 'Together for Mental Health' delivery plan 2019-2022. We're now working on the development of the successor to the plan, and I can tell the Chamber that perinatal mental health will continue to be a priority in the successor plan. We will be engaging with the perinatal mental health network as we develop this work. As part of this, we'll also be looking to see how we can develop the pathway approach, recognising that specialist services are one element of this. 

As part of our maternity and early years care and support, health boards already work with families as part of an early intervention approach. Every mother and family has a named midwife to support them in pregnancy and postnatally. This includes consideration of perinatal mental well-being, and pathways are in place for those who need a referral to specialist services. All health boards now have a specialist perinatal mental health midwife in post who can support mothers and families to ensure they receive the care and support they need. 

Since 2015, we've invested in specialist perinatal mental health services across Wales, and, as a result, significant progress has been made in provision. There are now services in every health board area, and over £3 million of mental health service improvement funding is supporting these services annually. From a north Wales perspective, over £800,000 of this funding has been allocated to support perinatal mental health. I was really pleased to get the opportunity a while ago to visit the perinatal mental health team in north Wales. Their commitment to the mothers they support was palpable, and I want to pay tribute to them for the work they do day in, day out supporting mothers in north Wales. 

Can I give Siân Gwenllian the commitment that I will look at what she has said today about the lower level support? It's not something that has been picked up in my conversations about perinatal mental health in north Wales, but I will pick that up with officials and provide you with a further update.

All health boards are also working towards meeting the relevant Royal College of Psychiatrists' quality standards, and we've also made service improvement funding available to support this work. Health boards have made good progress towards these standards, including in north Wales, but there is more work to be done to ensure the care provided is of the highest standard. In Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, services are currently compliant with 91 per cent of type 1 standards and 75 per cent of type 2 standards. Our national clinical lead for perinatal mental health is continuing to work with services to identify where there are gaps in meeting the standards, and to put plans in place to address this. Welsh Government continues to be committed to supporting services to meet these standards. 

Common themes that have been identified for improvement include the provision of clinical space that is family orientated, which you've highlighted, adequate office space for teams, and the provision of information around carers' rights and advocacy. Over recent months, the all-Wales perinatal mental health clinical lead and the perinatal mental health network have developed a pathway of care. The aim of the pathways is to standardise practice, to provide clarity around roles and responsibilities, and reflect a preventative early intervention and evidence-based approach. As well as providing equity, these pathways should ensure that the right care is provided by the right people and at the right time. 

As Members have highlighted, in April 2021 we opened a mother and baby unit within the Swansea Bay University Health Board area. This marked a really important step forward in providing improved perinatal mental health support for mothers in Wales. This centre is an important part of improving the experience of new mothers, as they will be able to get the specialist support they need for themselves and their babies closer to home. I was able to visit the south Wales MBU, our Uned Gobaith, last year. It was fantastic to meet the hugely committed team, but also to meet some mothers, who spoke really powerfully about the difference having MBU support had made to them.

The Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee have undertaken a review of the south Wales mother and baby unit, where it was agreed to continue to support the service on the current Tonna site, and to keep this under review. Whilst I am really pleased we have this service in south Wales, I recognise that this is too far away to be an appropriate service for women living in north Wales, and I am committed to providing provision closer to home for mothers in north Wales. The modelling undertaken in Wales has evidenced that we do not currently have enough demand to have a standalone unit in north Wales, and that's why we've been working with NHS England in order to develop a joint unit in north-west England that enables access to mothers from north Wales. As such, there continues to be significant engagement between Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee and NHS England regarding the development of this new unit.

The business case was signed off in December 2022 and we're expecting the service to be operational in summer 2024. I recognise that this is some time away, and officials are working with WHSSC to identify any opportunities to accelerate these timescales if possible. We're also working with the provider to support the Welsh language needs of patients when developing the unit. And can I assure you, Siân, that I entirely recognise the importance of being able to communicate—and to Jane as well—through your first language when you are in the situation where you are needing such acute mental health support?

So, establishing this provision for north Wales will be a key priority over these coming months. I hope that this provides some reassurance to Members about the support that is currently available for mothers in north Wales and the progress that has been made on developing provision across Wales. I recognise—