Llais report on maternity experiences in Swansea Bay must accelerate urgent change, says healthcare lawyer Julia Reynolds

Julia, medical negligence team partner at law firm Leigh Day, says the report by Llais published today, Tuesday 13 May, comes as no surprise to those working with women and their families affected by poor maternity care in the Swansea Bay area. Julia says the report must accelerate urgent changes to give families reassurance that childbirth is safe in Swansea Bay. 

The report by Llais was produced following surveys, interviews, and focus groups. It does report compassionate and professional care, but also the experiences of families who told Llais they felt unheard, unsupported or unsafe at different stages of their maternity journey: especially during labour, after birth, or when they tried to raise concerns.  

Llais says the report highlights the need for immediate action to improve maternity services, so that everyone receives safe, respectful, and compassionate care. There is a need for continued cultural, clinical, and leadership improvements in maternity care, says Llais. 

It says the stories its staff heard before compiling the report described serious challenges related to communication, quality of care, respect for people giving birth, and support.  

Distressing experiences involved mental or physical harm that had had had a devastating impact on their lives.  

Many contributors raised concerns about unnecessary stress, lack of dignity, and barriers to good care.  

The report says Swansea Bay University Health Board has taken steps to respond to the HIW inspection and improve clinical safety and patient experience, including: 

1. commissioning an independent review, introducing a patient experience group
2. establishing a maternity ‘Gold Command’ to oversee the action plan and reporting progress to the Health Board Quality and Patient Safety Committee
3. addressing staff shortages, and reopening the Birthing Unit, giving more choice to mothers and families. 

Leigh Day partner Julia Reynolds, who is investigating medical negligence claims on behalf of many Swansea families affected by alleged failures in maternity care, said: 

“The Llais report makes sobering reading and frankly I am absolutely appalled that women have experienced what they describe in maternity wards in Swansea. 

“The Swansea Bay University Health Board may say that these stories are old and that the deficiencies in care are being addressed.  

“We have worked with the family support group in Swansea, and there are some families' stories that are several years old, but there are some who are reporting issues with care, and their babies are only a few months or even a few weeks old. 

“The families that I have been working with, tell me that their birth experience has left them traumatised. There is now a generation of people fearful of what might await them when the time comes to give birth to their child. 

“We can only hope that this report accelerates the urgent changes required, because what I have read here is sadly all too familiar to me as a medical negligence lawyer. It is unacceptable that there are such experiences in maternity care in Wales.” 

Julia is supporting and working with families who are part of the Swansea Bay Maternity Support Group and has attended and addressed public meetings it has held this year. 

She will address the group at its next meeting on Tuesday 20 May.