The report of the independent national assessment of maternity and neonatal services in Wales, titled The Path to Safer Beginnings in Wales, was published yesterday, 25th February 2026. The assessment was commissioned by Welsh health secretary Jeremy Miles in response to ongoing concerns about safety, culture, and standards of care, and was led by an expert independent panel chaired by former Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Professor Sally Holland.
Unlike retrospective reviews that focus on past incidents, Professor Holland’s team focussed on “evaluat[ing] the current state of maternity and neonatal care across Wales” with the aim of providing “assurance that services are safe, effective, and responsive, while also identifying areas of excellence” (p13). The team listened to the experiences of more than 600 women, parents, families and staff across Wales.
The assessment highlights persistent challenges including variations in care, cultural issues, inequities, and system pressures, and calls for improved national co-ordination and collective improvement.
The assessment also identified many areas of good care, and opportunities to learn from things that are working well.
Eight recommended priority areas were identified:
- Joined-up national leadership
- Universal offer of high-quality care
- Urgent attention to critical clinical safety systems
- Enough staff and the right spaces to care safely
- Support for mental health and wellbeing
- Improved planning and commissioning of neonatal care
- Listening and improving from feedback
Health Secretary Jeremy Miles confirmed that the Welsh Government has accepted all the recommendations (seven in full and one in part), and will implement a three-year improvement programme to:
- Strengthen leadership by establishing a National Strategic Oversight Board to drive improvements across Wales
- Implement real-time safety monitoring systems
- Set up a national forum to share best practice
- Improve guidance to health boards to ensure birth discussions become a routine part of maternity and neonatal care
- Develop a service specification for the induction of labour.
We welcome the report findings and priority areas, which align closely with Baby Lifeline’s mission to promote safer and better care for every woman, birthing person and newborn baby. These include:
1. Reinforcing the need for high-quality, evidence-based training: Baby Lifeline has long championed accessible, standardised, high-quality training. The report highlights ongoing issues (such as missed warning signs and inconsistent practice) that show why multiprofessional training must remain a national and organisational priority.
2. Advancing equity and equality in maternity care: findings on inequities in maternity outcomes reflect Baby Lifeline’s commitment to tackling disparities through national work, local projects, and training. Delivering equitable, culturally safe care is essential, and evidence of discrimination within the workforce reinforces the need to address systemic inequalities for both families and staff.
3. Supporting staff: workforce pressures – including vacancies, stress-related sickness, and emotional strain – underline the need to better support staff. We have long lobbied for improved staff wellbeing, communication, and system-level support to ensure professionals feel valued and able to deliver safe care through our national work, our annual conference, and our research.
4. Improving culture for safer outcomes: our multiprofessional training helps foster open, learning-focused environments that protect women, birthing people, babies, and the staff who care for them.
A Message from Baby Lifeline’s CEO, Judy Ledger MBE
“This important report is a powerful reminder that safe maternity care depends on consistent standards, robust training, and a culture where both families and staff feel heard and supported. Baby Lifeline is ready to continue working with partners across Wales and the UK to ensure every mother, birthing person and baby receives the safe, equitable care they deserve. The findings highlight both the challenges we face and the opportunities ahead.”