Cardiff: Women 'treated differently' due to ethnicity at hospital

The University Hospital of Wales is the country's biggest hospital

There is evidence of black, Asian and minority ethnic women being treated differently at the University Hospital of Wales, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales has said.

HIW completed an inspection of UHW's maternity services in November 2022 and served an urgent improvement notice.

A follow up inspection in March found continuing issues with patient safety.

Cardiff and Vale University Health board said it accepted the findings and "has taken necessary action".

During the follow-up inspection this year, inspectors said maternity services at UHW still required "urgent improvement".

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The inspectorate said in November that it identified issues which meant that patients were not consistently receiving an "acceptable standard of timely, safe, and effective care".

Although "some improvements had been made in many areas... there remained significant challenges, and overall, the improvements were not progressing at the pace required", it said.

The report added: "We found low morale amongst staff that we spoke to, and similar comments were received following a staff survey.

"In March, inspectors found staff were working hard to provide patients with a positive experience, despite sustained pressures on the department.

"Staff were observed to be providing kind and respectful care, and the patients we spoke to were generally positive about the care provided."

However, it said some patients raised concerns about the availability and support of staff.

"Overall, we were concerned that the culture was not supportive and did not adequately promote accountability and safe patient care," it said.

HIW chief executive Alun Jones said despite "some improvements" being identified, "the scale of issues and pace of change was not sufficient and as a result further urgent action was required".

Director of midwifery Abigail Holmes said: "We would like to reassure the community that providing safe, effective and inclusive care to all women and birthing people is always our paramount priority.

"As a learning organisation, we are fully receptive to any areas for improvement and will continue to build on the progress made so far.

"We are acutely aware that colleagues work tirelessly in often challenging environments and appreciate the valiant effort they make every day to ensure our patients are well cared for."

The health board said it has since implemented a number of initiatives and strategies to improve the experience of black, Asian and minority ethnic patients.