Health board to consult on ending shared maternity care arrangement 

Nation.Cymru staff

A health board is to launch a public consultation on plans to end a long-standing arrangement that allows some expectant mothers to receive consultant-led antenatal care closer to home while planning to give birth at a neighbouring hospital.

Hywel Dda University Health Board will seek the views of patients, staff and stakeholders on proposals to end its service agreement with Swansea Bay University Health Board covering obstetric services linked to Singleton Hospital and Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli.

The current arrangement forms part of a hybrid model under which women from Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire who choose to give birth at Singleton Hospital receive consultant-led maternity care in Swansea while attending some antenatal appointments at Prince Philip Hospital.

However, both health boards have concluded that differences in clinical guidelines, policies and governance arrangements make the current model increasingly difficult to operate.

They say reviews have identified inconsistencies arising from the two organisations working under different clinical and governance frameworks.

If approved, women from the Hywel Dda area who choose to give birth at Singleton Hospital would instead receive all of their consultant-led antenatal care in Swansea. Those whose pregnancies do not require consultant oversight would continue to receive community midwifery care from Hywel Dda.

To maintain local maternity services for women choosing to give birth within Carmarthenshire, the existing satellite clinic at Prince Philip Hospital would be replaced by a Hywel Dda-led obstetric clinic.

Health board officials said ending the agreement would create “a safer, more coherent and sustainable pathway” for women and babies while strengthening clinical governance, continuity of care and accountability.

The health board received formal notice from Swansea Bay University Health Board on June 6 that the agreement would end. The contract is due to expire on December 9, subject to the completion of public engagement.

Support

A six-week consultation will begin on August 17 to gather feedback on the proposals and identify any support that may be needed for those affected.

Sharon Daniel, Hywel Dda University Health Board’s Director of Nursing, Quality and Patient Experience, said: “The safety and quality of care for pregnant women and people and babies must always be our primary consideration.

“The current arrangement has enabled people from our area to access consultant-led maternity services in Swansea while attending some appointments closer to home. However, reviews undertaken by both health boards have highlighted that operating across two organisations with different clinical and governance frameworks can create challenges.

“The engagement process will help us better understand any impact of the changes and ensure that feedback from service users, staff and stakeholders is considered as we plan the implementation of the new ways of working. Providing the highest quality service to our families continues to be our priority.”

Details of the consultation, including how people can submit their views, will be published before the engagement period begins on August 17.

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