Last month’s proposal from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to axe doctor-led maternity services at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd for a period of at least 12 months sparked outrage across North Wales.
Within hours of the news breaking, petitions were started, a mass protest organised and hundreds of women shared their personal stories publicly to highlight the risks of such a move.
I joined the thousands of campaigners who braved the cold weather to gather in Rhyl to protest against the decision and last week I, along with other North Wales Assembly Members from all political parties, was present at the handing over of a 15,000 strong petition from the Daily Post and lead campaigner Marsha Davies of Little Miracles UK, a charity she established to support the families of premature babies.
The simple fact is that the removal of consultant-led obstetric and gynaecological services from Glan Clwyd will put the lives of mothers and their babies at risk. Similar proposals have been abandoned in the recent past, yet here we are having to fight the same battle all over again.
The health board revealed their plans just nine months after the First Minister announced that a Sub-Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Cente would be established at Glan Clywd Hospital ending months of uncertainty over baby care in the region. The Health Board has indicated that in spite of the proposals to withdraw consultant-led maternity care, it is still committed to the delivery of the neonatal intensive care centre, but surely if they were truly committed then Glan Clwyd would be the very last place to withdraw services from.
The North Wales Community Health Council have written to the Welsh Health Minister to say that it does not accept the Health Board's position that the proposals for Glan Clwyd represent an urgent service change and are of the opinion that a full public consultation and a detailed assessment of all the risks should have been undertaken prior to the Board making a decision. I fully support its position.
The Welsh Government's guidance on proposals for significant service change is clear; plans should not be made behind closed doors and there should be widespread public and stakeholder consultation on significant service change. Yet instead the Board failed to consult with key stakeholders, patients and the frontline staff who will be affected by their plans and refused to share Board papers outlining the plans in advance of its deliberations. This is totally unacceptable behaviour.
The whole matter has been handled in a very underhand manner. Families in North Wales should not have to pay the price for the failure of Health Board bosses to get to grips with staff shortages and recruitment and retention problems.
Taking away maternity services for some of the most complex pregnancies and forcing expectant parents to travel further is downright dangerous. I have called on the Welsh Government to consign these proposals to the dustbin and will continue to fight until they are. We must all remain strong in our battle against these changes.
Darren and Vale of Clwyd AM Ann Jones will be hosting a public meeting on the proposals in St Asaph Cathedral on Thursday evening (March 12th) at 7pm.