National Assembly for Wales

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes:

a) the stillbirth rate in Wales has been consistently higher than the rate for the rest of the UK;

b) there has been no sustained drop in the rate of babies being stillborn in Wales since 2018;

c) there has also been a lack of sustained progress in reducing the rate of babies dying shortly after birth in Wales; and

d) more than 1,000 babies in Wales may have survived between 2019 and 2023 if outcomes had matched those of the best-performing countries in Europe.

2. Welcomes:

a) the publication of the 2026 All-Wales Maternity and Neonatal Assurance Assessment Report;

b) the Welsh Government’s increased focus on preventative healthcare and reducing inequalities in health outcomes; and

c) ongoing work to improve maternity safety, workforce planning, and equity within maternity and neonatal services in Wales.

3. Believes:

a) bereaved families in Wales do not always receive consistent, high-quality support, including access to trained staff, appropriate bereavement facilities, and specialist psychological care;

b) too many baby deaths in Wales are preventable, and urgent, coordinated action is required to reduce stillbirth and neonatal mortality; and

c) reducing baby deaths, and ensuring all bereaved parents receive compassionate, high-quality care, must be a central aim of a preventative and equitable health system.

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) ensure timely and effective implementation of the recommendations set out in the 2026 All-Wales Maternity and Neonatal Assurance Assessment Report;

b) work with all health boards across Wales to:

i) ensure that all bereaved families can access high-quality bereavement care as part of a National Bereavement Care Pathway, including trained staff, appropriate facilities, opportunities to create memories, and referral to specialist psychological support where required;

ii) rollout specialist psychological support for people following pregnancy and baby loss, ensuring all bereaved parents can access support regardless of where they life, the type of pregnancy or baby loss they experienced, or how long ago it was; and

c) consider adopting clear, measurable targets to reduce stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates in Wales in line with the best-performing countries in Europe, including targets to eliminate inequalities in baby loss by ethnicity and deprivation, and ensure sustained focus on delivery.

The path to safer beginnings in Wales: A national assurance assessment of Maternity and Neonatal care and services