Former children's commissioner to chair Wales-wide assessment of maternity and neonatal services

Sally Holland, former Children’s Commissioner for Wales, will lead an independent assurance assessment of perinatal (maternity and neonatal) services across NHS Wales.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Miles MS, commissioned NHS Wales Performance and Improvement to undertake a national assessment.  In July, he announced it would be independently chaired.

Professor Holland will head up an independent oversight panel, who are national experts in their respective fields.

The work will focus on the safety of all maternity and neonatal services and will evaluate the quality of them.

The voices and experiences of women, parents and families will be at the heart of this work.  Their perspectives are central to understanding the quality, safety, and culture of services.

Professor Sally Holland said: “Maternity and neonatal services play a crucial role in ensuring safe and positive experiences for mothers, babies and families at a time in their lives when they need the best possible care.

“In this assessment we will ensure that their voices and experiences are at the heart of our work, and that we identify both excellent practice and areas where improvements are urgently needed.

“I am looking forward to working alongside the expert panel to make sure women, babies and families receive the best care possible, wherever they live in Wales.”

Jeremy Miles, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care’s written statement on today’s announcement includes biographies on the chair and panel here.

The oversight panel will give initial advice to the Health Secretary by the end of this year.