Inspectors concerned over whether staff can give safe care at maternity ward
Inspectors concerned over whether staff can give safe care at maternity ward
A three-day unannounced inspection took place at the Llifon Ward in Ysbyty Gwynedd, which specialises in antenatal and postnatal care
Patient safety concerns were identified during the inspection at Ysbyty Gwynedd
(Image: Google Map )
Concerns have been raised about whether a maternity unit can offer safe care to its patients. Inspectors said while it had seen improvements since its last inspection of the maternity ward in Ysbyty Gwynedd, inspectors said they were not convinced "all relevant staff had the up-to-date knowledge and skills required to deliver safe care".
Healthcare Inspectorate Wales' had a three-day, unannounced inspection of maternity services at the Llifon Ward in Ysbyty Gwynedd in February 2025. The ward specialises in antenatal and postnatal care.
While it found women and their families were treated with kindness and respect, and that care was delivered in a clean, calm and welcoming environment and examples of good practice, it also identified key areas that "require urgent attention to ensure safe and effective care". For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
It found patient safety concerns identified during the inspection.
The first was about medical handovers and the way staff communicated. Inspectors found the handovers were not consistently effective or clearly documented.
There was concern that without improvement, this could compromise the ability of staff to make safe decisions about care, particularly for women during labour.
Article continues below
The second issue related to low compliance with mandatory training among obstetric staff - doctors, midwives, and nurses who care for women during pregnancy, childbirth, and after the baby is born.
Inspectors said they were not assured that all relevant staff had the up-to-date knowledge and skills required to deliver safe care and the health board has been told it must take prompt action to ensure training is completed and that appropriate mitigations are put in place to maintain safety in the interim.
The report also found that the process of gaining informed consent, especially for obstetric treatments, needs to be improved.
There was "inconsistent" access to translation services, causing potential communication issues. Inspectors raised concerns about the management of the second obstetric theatre, the effectiveness of the Maternity Outpatient Assessment Unit, and the recording of key decisions during labour.
Inspectors found that recent changes to midwifery leadership had reduced senior staff visibility within the unit.
Staff shared mixed views on leadership engagement and how their concerns were handled. They also raised concerns about the number of out-of-date policies, the need to improve how medical staff are involved in incident reviews and how learning is shared across the team.
They wanted a continued focus on recruitment and retention and for checks all staff receive appropriate induction.
Despite these challenges, the inspection found evidence of committed, professional teams working hard to deliver kind and dignified care under pressure.
Chief executive of Healthcare Inspectorate Wales Alun Jones said: "This inspection highlights the dedication and professionalism of staff in delivering dignified, patient-centred care. It also identifies areas requiring immediate and sustained improvement.
Article continues below
"We urge the health board to act promptly, and we will continue to work closely with them to ensure progress is made."
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It was this rainbow, that inspired Matt and his team when they were in a tricky spot (Image: @Fridge_freezer_man ) The challenge has also helped raised more than £50,000 pounds for children's hospice charity, Hope House Tŷ Gobaith which Matt says was close to Vickys heart and had helped some of their family members as well. 'Getting close to the event, obviously, there was no certainty that I would do it. It's pretty extreme,' Matt said. 'I knew very early on I'd have to go to a place physically, mentally, that I've never been before. I'm an ex Royal Marine Commando, I'm used to carrying heavy stuff on my back, long distances. 'Llangollen Round is a 36-hour event. You can do it in one day or two days. Obviously, I was trying to do it twice with a fridge freezer on my back in the 36-hour period, and we somehow… and I will say we, it was a team effort, it wasn't just me, I had a support team family allowing me to train. 'We decided to obviously raise money for Hope House, which is an amazing children's hospice charity on the borders of Wales up here. And I think the best part is we're at nearly £55,000 collectively now, which is amazing.' You can donate to the fundraiser in Vicky's memory by clicking here . Though his story has spread far, Matt said that gaining attention for himself was never the motive. 'That wasn't my objective at all. It was to fulfil the bet really with the children first, secondly to spread her mantra, and thirdly to raise money for the charity,' Matt said. 'I did hold back as long as I could because I consciously didn't want to make it about myself. 'I understand the news people are interested in the fridge freezer man, but that's not my objective. My objective is to spread what an amazing woman Vicky was.' It was his children who motivated Matt the most. 'They're very proud. Vicky runs through them all. They're a product of her environment,' he said. 'They knew I was going to do it. They were the only ones that knew I could do it, they were the only ones throughout. 'I had several people telling me, 'Why don't you just do it once? Trying to manage my expectations. They [his children] were the only ones that said, you're going to do this, we know you can do this. 'I think me and Vicky have always instilled in them two things, very simple: never ever be normal, never ever be boring. Love your life. We are slightly different. I know we are slightly, but they're very proud and I'm so proud of them. They're amazing.' Matt's children joined him in the journey (Image: @Fridge_freezer_man ) Matt hopes his challenge can aslo inspire other to push their boundaries, something that is very important to him. 'Don't become a number. I can't think of anything worse than one day lying on my bed, hopefully, with grandchildren and my family around me in my dying days, grey and old, looking back and wishing I'd done something,' he said. 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That's our job in life, if you have children. I know my children will become better people than I am.' Matt says he would not have made it without his team (Image: @Fridge_freezer_man ) Though he did eventually conquer the challenge, Matt believes he would not have been able to do it without his team and his family. Article continues below 'It was a team challenge and I can't thank them enough, the role that they played, regardless of how big or how small it was, it was a team effort, from family to friends, to support team,' Matt said. 'I was a cog in a wheel, that's my job. Everyone put me in the best possible position that day to deliver. 'We had all challenges with wind and weather and fueling and a few things went wrong but we we did it because we were a team we were a unit.'
