Eluned Morgan rebuffs maternity expert and rejects calls to shut down review

Martin Shipton

Health Secretary Eluned Morgan has ignored the advice of Britain’s top expert on failing maternity units and refused again to order a public inquiry into the Singleton Hospital maternity unit in Swansea.

Senior midwife Donna Ockenden said this week that an independent review into failings at the Singleton unit, commissioned by the Swansea Bay University Health Board, was “not fit for purpose” and should be “closed” immediately.

In September 2023 a Healthcare Inspectorate Wales inspection report concluded that the safety and wellbeing of mothers and babies could not be guaranteed at the Singleton Hospital unit.

Baroness Morgan has written to campaigners Rob and Sian Channon, whose five-year-old son Gethin suffered serious brain damage at birth because of medical negligence at the unit. They have been calling for the review to be scrapped and for a proper independent inquiry to be commissioned by the Welsh Government, not by the health board that presided over the unit’s failings.

Lasting improvements

In a letter to the Channons, Baroness Morgan states: “I understand how strongly you – and other families – feel about this and your desire to secure lasting improvements in this service.

In your letters, you have asked me about the actions of the interim chief executive of the health board and what action I would be taking. As the interim chief executive is an employee of the health board, it is for the health board – and its board – to determine whether any action should be taken.

“You have also asked whether the Welsh Government would take responsibility for the review from the health board. The review of maternity and neonatal services was commissioned by the health board and designed as an independent review.

“As mentioned previously, given this review was commissioned by Swansea Bay University Health Board, I am unable to comment any further. Any further correspondence on this subject should be directed to the health board.

“In previous correspondence to you, we noted that the independent nature of the review is vitally important, which is why any involvement on my part must not affect that independence. I and my officials must continue to act as interested observers. We will of course monitor the outputs and outcomes of the review and any recommendations.

“However, following your letter in March, and at my request, my officials wrote to the then chair of the independent review, and following her resignation, to the new interim chair to outline my expectations that there be continued engagement with families, staff and the wider public that takes into account their experiences and is patient outcome focused. This reflects the importance of the engagement aspect of the review.

“As you are aware, an interim chair has now been appointed to lead the review following the resignation of the former chair. I hope you feel able to engage and support the new chair and the engagement panel in discharging their duty to conduct this review.

“As you say, the review has yet to start almost eight months since it was commissioned. I hope you share my recognition of the vital need for this review to start work in earnest as soon as possible – I believe we all want the review to thoroughly examine the issues and questions you and other families have. We also want any potential learning to come from this review to be adopted and implemented to help make this service – and other Welsh maternity and neonatal services – the best they can be.

“I ask you, all the families affected, the health board and the review team, to please work together to begin and see through this independent review to its conclusion.”

‘Bad experiences’

Meanwhile Llais, the body set up to represent the interests of patients in NHS Wales, issued a statement which said: “At Llais, we are representing the views and experiences of families we have heard from about the Swansea Bay maternity review.

“Back in December 2023, Swansea Bay University Health Board told us they were going to be starting an independent review into maternity services. This was after we had heard about bad experiences and problems about the service that were also raised in the Health Inspectorate for Wales report in September 2023.

“This has not been an easy or a smooth process and we are working closely with families and the Health Board to move this forward so services can improve for people.

“There has been a delay of eight months to the review. In this time, the original chair has stepped down. Some families we are supporting raised worries about the Terms of Reference for the review, and these needed to be changed. Families did not feel their voices were heard. They feel it is taking too long.

“It is clear from what we are hearing that the review in its current form is not working for people. We do not run the review, but things need to change so that families can have confidence that any review will put them at the centre.

“We will work with the health board to make sure this happens. As part of our involvement, we have asked the health board to write to all those using maternity services over the last two years to invite them to share their experiences as part of the review, and to set out the emotional support available to families who have experienced bereavement and trauma in their maternity care. We have also agreed to be part of any patient experience group going forward.

“3,200 babies are born each year in the Swansea Bay University Health Board area. We know there may be a lot of you with stories to share. If you want to have your say on your experiences of maternity services, you can contact us at our Neath Port Talbot and Swansea office via email: [email protected] or by calling 01639 683490.

“We are your voice in health and social care. Talk to us. Let’s make sure everyone’s voice is included.”

Disappointed

Responding to both Baroness Morgan and Llais, Mr Channon said: “While we appreciated getting a letter from Eluned Morgan, after years of raising issues with her we are disappointed at the content. The incoming First Minister failed to mention the incredible intervention from Donna Ockenden that has thrown the review into further chaos.

“Eluned Morgan has had the power since day one to mandate a maternity review that wasn’t a scam. She failed to do so. Eight months later more incidents have occurred in Singleton Maternity.

“There is now one choice left for Eluned. Fully follow the recommendations from Donna Ockenden. We will accept no less.

“The intervention from Llais, the legally mandated patient voice for Wales is massive. They have called for changes in the review and acknowledged some of the failings of Swansea Bay NHS.

“After an incredible day in which more victims, Donna Ockenden and Llais have spoken out, it is clear the review is doomed. The only people who disagree are the executive directors who were responsible for the conditions that led to the deaths and harm to mothers and babies who are fighting for their careers.”