Scottish health leader brought in to scrutinise Swansea Bay maternity overhaul after damning reviews

The appointment of Ann Gow, Deputy Chief Executive of Healthcare Improvement Scotland and a qualified midwife, comes in the wake of three independent reviews that painted a stark picture of repeated failings in care.

As we reported in July, those reviews uncovered a pattern of poor communication, women and families feeling ignored, a lack of compassion, unsafe environments, and birth partners being separated at critical moments. They also exposed deep‑rooted cultural problems, staffing shortages, and gaps in training — with patient safety and dignity repeatedly compromised.

The findings were so serious that Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Jeremy Miles MS moved the services from level 3 to level 4 intervention — the most serious category — placing them under direct Welsh Government oversight.

‘Unacceptable experiences’

Mr Miles said the reviews highlighted “unacceptable patient and family experiences” and that Ms Gow’s role as independent observer on the Swansea Bay Maternity and Neonatal Oversight Panel would be to ensure the health board’s promised reforms are delivered in full.

“I have met the Chief Executive and Chair of Swansea Bay University Health Board on a number of occasions to gain assurance of the safety and quality of care,” he said. “Ann Gow brings extensive leadership experience in improvement, review, regulation and inspection of healthcare provision across all sectors.”

A career built on women and children’s care

Ms Gow’s career spans frontline midwifery and health visiting through to national‑level leadership. In Scotland, she has overseen improvement programmes on healthcare staffing, excellence in care, and integrated services, while raising the visibility and influence of nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.

Her arrival adds another layer of scrutiny to a system already under intense examination. In August, the Welsh Government also commissioned a Wales‑wide review of maternity and neonatal services led by former Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Professor Sally Holland.

Restoring trust

The oversight panel, chaired by patient safety expert Dr Denise Chaffer CBE, will track the health board’s progress against the reviews’ recommendations and report back to ministers. For families who have endured trauma in Swansea Bay’s maternity units, the hope is that this new appointment signals not just another layer of bureaucracy — but a turning point.

#JeremyMilesMS #maternity #maternityUnit #neonatal #neonatalUnit #SingletonHospital #SwanseaBayNHS #WelshGovernment

Premature babies must be [referred] to life-changing therapies under new Illinois law

https://kbin.melroy.org/m/upliftingnew[email protected]/t/1148483

When it comes to comfort, our wearable devices are in a league of their own. Researchers have used them to #monitor sleep in adults and infants alike.

🟡 Gosse et al. successfully combined EEG and #fNIRS on sleeping infants
🔵 Liang et al. assessed adult sleep quality with ease
🟡 Hakimi et al. classified #neonatal sleep states
🔵 Cao et al. evaluated fNIRS to be reliable for sleep monitoring

🔗
https://publications.artinis.com/publication/gosse-developing-2023/
https://publications.artinis.com/publication/spinsante-not-2022/
https://publications.artinis.com/publication/hakimi-near-infrared-2024/
https://publications.artinis.com/publication/cao-sleep-2025/

>>If cuts are made because hospitals can no longer afford staff, it doesn’t only affect Medicaid patients but all Oklahomans seeking care, Webber said.

[snip]

The most expensive services, like oncology and neonatal, are likely to be cut first, she said. <<

#Medicaid #Oklahoma #OklahomaVoice #Cancer #Oncology #Neonatal #Hospitals #HospitalClosure
https://oklahomavoice.com/2025/06/27/no-time-to-plan-for-fallout-of-potential-medicaid-cuts-in-oklahoma-hospital-officials-say/