Glangwili Hospital labour ward criticism accepted

Criticism of the labour ward which handles births in west Wales has been accepted by the health board in charge.

A report said the ward at Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, was 'not fit for purpose' to handle extra births.

Hywel Dda boss Steve Moore said he was committed to making improvements.

A meeting was held on Thursday to discuss the report into changes that saw care for complex births moved to a different hospital.

Following a reorganisation of maternity services in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, the unit in Carmarthen now handles more births than before.

The report, led by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, looked into the impact changes have had on patients and staff since more complicated births were moved from Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire.

Despite the criticism of the ward, the report found the actual care provided had been good and board members welcomed findings that patients' experiences had been "overwhelmingly positive".

Chief executive Mr Moore told the meeting in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, that the board is pressing ahead with the expansion of Glangwili's labour ward.

He said, due to the short turnaround time in which the changes were made, it was always accepted that the infrastructure was unacceptable.

"The best was done with what we had at Glangwili and the priority was to have a safe service," he added.

The timescale for the ward expansions is not yet known and further discussions are needed with the Welsh government regarding funding.

Health Minister Mark Drakeford said: "I welcome the review, which provides further reassurance to people in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire that these services are safe and have led to improved outcomes for mothers and babies.

"Where the review team has made recommendations in relation to elements of the safety net, which I required to be put in place, I accept them all."