Latest news with #SwanseaBayUniversityHealthBoard
ITV News
4 days ago
- Health
- ITV News
'Repeated failures in the quality of care' revealed in review of Swansea's maternity services
An independent review has found 'repeated failures in the quality of care' within Swansea Bay University Health Board's Maternity and Neonatal Services The final report, published today, also reveals that whilst many report a positive experience of pregnancy and birth, "some women have, and continue to have a considerably poor or traumatic experience". The Health Board's Maternity and Neonatal services have been the subject of scrutiny since at least 2019 and in the last five years there have been a number of internal and external reviews. The independent review was commissioned in 2023 after the Health Inspectorate for Wales highlighted a range of significant concerns about maternity and childbirth within the health board. ITV Wales has reported extensively on the experiences of families who have used the maternity unit at Swansea's Singleton Hospital, including the Channons. Their son Gethin was born with severe brain damage after complications during his birth in 2019. 'I was left without pain relief for eight hours after having a caesarean' 'An outlier' The report cites data into child deaths, calling the health board an 'outlier' in stillbirth rate and neonatal mortality rates for three consecutive years between 2019 and 2021 and then again in 2023. Between 2018 and 2023, SBUHB reported 90 stillbirths and 45 neonatal deaths (babies who died within 28 days of birth) out of nearly 17,000 deliveries. Staffing and governance were highlighted in the report. Low and inconsistent staffing levels were found between 2021 and 2024, with a loss of experienced staff after the Covid-19 pandemic. Whilst 'significant weaknesses' in governance led to a "lack of challenge and scrutiny" and "poor visibility of issues", including a lack of compassion after women gave birth. The complaints handling at SBUHB has been branded as historically poor and incidents investigation 'light touch'. The review also highlighted a need for improvements in medical equipment, the level of mixed skill staff and the delays with pain medication. It also discussed how more work is needed to ensure consistent person-centred care is provided, particularly in relation to delayed induction. It found a lack of neonatal radiology expertise and mental health care, as well as breastfeeding support. The review's authors also found too much reliance of midwives to care for premature babies and a failure in communication to support those for whom English is not their preferred language. The review did find some evidence of improvements, with staffing levels improving since 2024 and a reduction in perinatal mortality since 2023. The Chair of the Review, Dr. Denise Chaffer, said whilst improvements have been made in the past few years, significant work still needs to be done. She said: "We have highlighted repeated failures in the quality of care and governance at the Health Board and, whilst there are several changes that the Health Board has put in place during the last year, there remain further actions to be urgently progressed." "There is still much to be done to improve maternity and neonatal services, and this report serves as a call to action for the Health Board to do more to rapidly improve the experiences of those who use these services." Chief Executive of Llais Cymru, Alyson Thomas said, "While some progress has been made, the real test now is whether families can see and feel the difference in their maternity services. Confidence must be rebuilt, and that means turning these findings into visible action fast." Following the issues raised in the report, Health Secretary Jeremy Miles has escalated Swansea Bay University Health Board Maternity and Neonatal Services to the second highest level of intervention. "I want to offer a full and unreserved apology on behalf of the Welsh Government to all the women and families who have not received the service or care they deserved and expected from Swansea Bay University Health Board. 'The experiences highlighted today; those reflected in the recent Llais report and those I heard when I met families last month must never happen again." He added, "NHS maternity and neonatal services must learn from what has happened in Swansea Bay. Together, we must commit to delivering the best possible experiences and outcomes for all women during pregnancy and birth. 'All women and babies must receive good-quality, safe and compassionate care. Their voices must be heard during pregnancy and birth and they must be included in plans to improve services improvement.' He has also announced a national assessment of all maternity and neonatal services in Wales will begin this month.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
'Traumatic' childbirth leaves woman with PTSD and depression
A woman said she felt "robbed" of her birth experience after a "painful" and "traumatic" delivery left her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-natal Barlow, from Swansea, gave birth to her 10lb 3oz son, Osian, who was born unresponsive and taken from her immediately due to did not meet him for two and a half hours, and said during that time she feared he had died. Swansea Bay University Health Board has been asked to comment. Claire said she knew Osian was a big baby but was led to believe his size could vary, so she "gaslighted" herself into thinking he would be now believes a caesarean section would have been safer, but felt pressured to trust in her own "empowered" choices at the labour, Claire had meconium in her waters and Osian's heartbeat was difficult to find, leaving her feeling like she had no choice but to "go with the flow".After he was born unresponsive, Claire began to bleed heavily and was rushed away for surgery to remove her placenta - an operation she later found out was not Osian, who is now 13 months old, was taken to another room with her husband. "I remember thinking I've not met him, I've never seen him, I didn't know what he looked like - just 10 people looking after him and 10 people looking after me," she told BBC Radio Wales staff worked around her, Claire said she feared the worst: "I remember thinking something bad was happening and just my luck he [Osian] is in a different room potentially dead, and my husband was in a different room with my son and he thinks I'm dead," she added. Claire, who shared her story as part of Birth Trauma Awareness Week, said there was a lack of communication during the birth, and no one had the "common decency" to tell her whether Osian was alive or even show her a months later, when she spoke to the hospital, she said they admitted there had been no reason not to bring him to her."This is the part that's really hurt me," Claire said. "I could deal with the rest, I could deal with the thought of nearly losing my life - but it's the fact that I felt like I was robbed. "That initial skin to skin contact I didn't have."It was really hard to have that connection with him, or even to try and breastfeed with him," she added. After the birth, Osian was diagnosed with tongue tie, jaundice and hyperglycaemia, while Claire lost nearly 1.7 litres of described her recovery as difficult: "You're kind of made to feel like you've got to get on with it.""I felt like I didn't have that opportunity to really settle. I was in hospital for five days and that environment isn't the best as it is," she day three, Claire said it was a "really hard day" and she remembers thinking she was going to be sectioned or "I was going to have my baby taken off me"."I was having all these massive emotions and I couldn't process at the time," she said. Claire said Osian is doing "incredible" and is the "happiest baby", adding that the support of her family has been important in her continues to take daily medication for PTSD."The midwives told me lots of people feel the same, but I don't understand why no one talks about it that's why I'm speaking out today," Claire said."I just want everyone to know that time does heal, and for anyone going through a traumatic birth - whether it's today, tomorrow, or months later - it really does get better," she said.
Wales Online
7 days ago
- Health
- Wales Online
'I suffered a stroke and was told I would never be the same again'
'I suffered a stroke and was told I would never be the same again' Less than an year after he suffered a stroke, Warren Smart is set to take on a 50 mile cycle ride Warren was told that he would never fully recover (Image: Swansea Bay University Health Board ) A man who suffered a stroke that left part of his body paralysed has now set his eyes on completing a 50mile ride to raise money for charity. Warren Smart suffered a stroke in September last year, and was told he would never be able to make a 100% recovery. In less than an year, the determined 58 year old from Three Crosses will be competing in the annual Jiffy's Cancer 50 Challenge. The ride would include Warren cycling 50 miles from the Cardiff City Stadium to the Lighthouse restaurant in Swansea's Bracelet Bay on August 17. 'The consultant said I would never make a 100% recovery. He said, 'You will recover, but you will never be the same again',' Warren said. It took Warren three months to walk properly again (Image: Swansea Bay University Health Board ) His illness that started from a vertigo, quickly turned into something more sinister. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here He said the first sign something was wrong was when he felt like he had vertigo. His blood perssure was high and doctors said he had suffered a stroke. Soon afterwards, his symptoms worsened in what doctors called a "decompensation event". Article continues below "I was more or less paralysed down my right side. I couldn't walk. I couldn't feed myself. I couldn't move my right arm or leg at all," he said. Shocked Warren said doctors thought a blood clot blood clot may have been dislodged and gone into the brain after he lifted a heavy object with his son. It took three months of recovery at Singleton Hospital's Neuro Outpatient Physiotherapy department before Warren was able to walk properly again. 'I had to be taught how to walk again. I used to stand on the side of my right foot and swing it in front of me,' he said. 'I couldn't go very far. I couldn't go up the slightest of hills. I couldn't walk on a pavement with a camber on it. He now goes to the gym, swims in the sea and does yoga. He has also given up alcohol, caffeine and salt to reduce the chances of it happening again. Now, he is determined to take one on the Jiffy's Cancer 50 Challenge. "I know I can do it but I don't know how long it will take me to do it," he said. 'I don't know yet if I will be able to ride up the hill near Culverhouse Cross because it's a steep hill. If I can ride up it, great. If I can't, I will push the bike up and ride the rest of it.' Completing the challenge also holds a personal reason for Warren. 'It's for a fantastic cause, close to my heart, as my father-in-law had prostate cancer,' he explained. 'These days, because of the funding for research and cancer services, people live with cancer. He lived with it for 26 years.' He urges people who have had a stroke not to give up. Now heading for the challenge, Warren has words of advice for others who might have had a stroke. 'If you think about it, it is just a blood clot in your brain. Your legs and arms are the same – nothing there has changed," he said. The more you do the better. They had to tell me to take it easy as I tend to push myself as much as I can.' Article continues below Sally Jones, Physiotherapy Clinical Lead for Neurology, said: 'The neuro outpatient physiotherapy team are delighted to have contributed so positively to Warren's stroke rehabilitation and his story highlights the importance of access to therapy support on discharge from hospital. 'His story really illustrates what can be gained with continued efforts and what an achievement - an inspiration that we can all take note of."
New York Post
09-06-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Mother, 38, has ‘breast transplant' after cancer diagnosis: ‘I had never seen or heard of such a procedure'
A British breast cancer survivor has undergone what may be a first of its kind surgery: a breast transplant, using her own healthy breast tissue. And it was all her idea. Nicola Purdie, 38, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, after which she had five months of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction. When her cancer returned a couple of year later — in only one breast — her treatment plan looked quite a bit different. 'This is not run of the mill mastectomy we're talking about,' her breast surgeon, Dr. Reza Arya, told the BBC. 4 Nicola Purdie, 38, has undergone what may be a first of its kind surgery: a breast transplant, using her own healthy breast tissue. NHS Wales Purdie's first bout of cancer was also only in her right breast, but due to family history, she decided to err on the safe side with a double mastectomy. Her reconstructive surgery involved a DIEP (deep inferior epigastric perforator) flap, in which skin and tissue are taken from the stomach. The upside of that procedure is the breasts are still 'natural' — no implants that need to be changed, and they grown and shrink with weight loss. In 2024, she was healthy and five months pregnant with her second child when she discovered a lump in her right breast — the cancer was back. Testing was limited due to her pregnancy, though she did have a lumpectomy to remove what they knew for sure was cancer. After she delivered her son early, further tests confirmed that she actually had several cancerous tumors, both in the skin and in a lymph node. 'The skin was the only bit of the breast tissue left after my previous reconstruction,' she told the Swansea Bay University Health Board. 4 Purdie was pregnant with her second child when she realized her breast cancer had returned. Nic Purdie / Facebook Purdie underwent chemotherapy again, all while caring for her newborn. 'I finished that in February this year, and then I had what we call the 'crazy idea,'' she said. For the next step in her treatment plan, doctors suggested removal of the entire breast that was infected with cancer, as well as LD flap reconstruction. The latissimus dorsi — a flat muscle that spans across part of the back and over to the side — would be swung around to replace the removed breast tissue. But Purdie didn't love that approach. For one, her aunt had had the procedure and the recovery was rough. It could also limit her future movement. 'All these matters are now clear to us, but at the time the idea was so out of the box that I needed to gather my thoughts.' Dr. Reza Arya For another, it would leave her flat-chested on one side, because there would not be enough skin to accommodate an implant. Purdie wanted symmetry, so that would mean removing her left breast as well. So she asked her doctor: What if they did another DIEP flap like she had done before, but this time used tissue from her healthy left breast to reconstruct the right? 4 Purdie came up with the idea to use healthy breast tissue from one breast to reconstruct the other. Nic Purdie / Facebook 'I remember [Dr. Reza Arya] sitting back in his chair,' Purdie said. 'I could see the cogs whirring.' That's because the idea was new to Arya — and the medical field in general. 'All these matters are now clear to us, but at the time the idea was so out of the box that I needed to gather my thoughts,' he said. 'I was analyzing what the benefits and disadvantages could be before even thinking if it would be technically feasible.' 'I had never seen or heard of such a procedure being talked about or published.' He had conversations with other doctors, but no one was quite sure if it would work. 'We didn't know if the vessels were still running, whether the flap needed to be detached to be transferred and, if so, whether the vessels could withstand the microsurgery again,' Arya said. 4 The surgery has allowed for her to get an implant to have symmetrical breasts, which would not have been otherwise possible for her. Gorodenkoff – 'We went through the pros and cons of all the different options,' Purdie added, 'but something was telling me that because I'd had this idea, there was a reason why I'd had it. I needed to plough on and just trust the process.' She decided to move forward with the seven-hour surgery, and tests conducted afterward showed no signs of cancer. After radiation, she will get an implant on that side — and because of the procedure, there is enough skin for it. Arya calls the surgery a 'world first' and says he will soon publish about it. 'I think that would help others with that very rare question — is an entire breast DIEP flap reusable? Can you freely move it again? Now I can say, absolutely yes. We have successfully recycled a reconstructed breast,' he said. Meanwhile, Purdie is thrilled that they found a solution that 'has allowed me to maintain being a woman' 'I would have been left with only one breast permanently. Radiotherapy would damage the skin and tissues too much to allow for an implant, so this surgery gives me the possibility of having two breasts,' she said. 'I've been so lucky.'
Wales Online
02-06-2025
- Health
- Wales Online
Verbal abuse from patients and relatives to nursing staff has risen dramatically
Verbal abuse from patients and relatives to nursing staff has risen dramatically A survey of healthworkers has found that bullying and abuse of health workers is on the rise in one region of Wales NHS Wales staff are encouraged to fill out a survey every year about various aspects of their job (Image: Getty Images ) A quarter of Swansea Bay University Health Board staff who responded to a survey said they faced abuse, harassment or bullying from patients, their relatives or members of the public. The figure of 25% for 2024 was nearly 10% higher than the previous year, a health board report said. And 24% of those that responded said they'd experienced abuse, harassment or bullying from health board colleagues in the preceding 12 months - up nearly 5% on year before. A total of 19% said they'd faced abuse, harassment or bullying from their line manager - a rise of nearly 3%. The annual survey, held over two months, is deployed by all Wales' health boards, Public Health Wales and the Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here There were some positive findings for the Swansea Bay region, which covers Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. Employees cited supportive teams, job satisfaction and colleagues wanting to go above beyond to ensure the well-being of patients. Introducing the survey findings at a health board meeting Tina Ricketts, director of workforce and organisational development, said the low response rate by Swansea Bay staff was "quite disappointing". Just under 13% of the health board's 15,601 employees filled in the survey, nearly 6% fewer than the previous year and considerably less than the 21.9% Welsh average. Article continues below Feedback about the low response rate has indicated that staff lacked confidence that anything would change as a result, while concerns were also voiced about the confidentiality of individual responses. The survey findings in many respects mirrored the wider experience of NHS Wales staff. For example 56.7% of Swansea Bay staff said they'd recommend the health board as a place to work, hardly any different from the 56.4% Welsh average. And 65.1% said they were enthusiastic about the job, a smidgeon fewer than the 65.7% country-wide average. Ms Ricketts said the survey, combined with other workforce data, had informed three priority improvement areas around leadership and management, being able to speak up and raise concerns safely, and values and behaviours. A report before the board said it took a zero-tolerance approach to any bullying, harassment or abuse. Independent board member Nuria Zolle said she found the percentages around abuse, harassment or bullying from the survey "really worrying", and welcomed the focus on improved leadership. Article continues below Fellow independent board member Reena Owen said she felt it was important to tell staff what was going to change as a result of the previous year's survey in order to address the perception that nothing would change. Speaking at a health board meeting earlier this year a senior sister at Morriston Hospital's emergency department, Charlotte Gallivan, said verbal abuse from patients and relatives was increasing, and that staff were under immense pressure.
