Plaid Cymru have called for a national investigation in Wales on the state of maternity services.

This comes after Wes Streeting, the Labour UK Health Secretary called for a similar investigation to be held in England.

Mabon ap Gwynfor, Plaid Cymru spokesperson on health, wrote to the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Miles, stating that well-publicised issues over recent years raise similar concerns in Wales, as in England, who have consequently commissioned a national investigation.

A recent Llais Cymru report into maternity services in Singleton Hospital Maternity Unit showed a lack of institutional accountability, with families affected having ‘little confidence’ in the internal review mechanisms.

Mr ap Gwynfor also raised concerns regarding workforce capacity, which contributed to the failings highlighted by the Llais report into Singleton Hospital Maternity Unit.

These concerns are illustrated by a 35% decrease in applications for midwifery courses in Wales since 2021, which is larger than the UK average.

Writing to the Cabinet Secretary, Plaid Cymru health spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, said: "Wales has had the highest stillbirth rates in the UK since 2014, and while both England and Scotland experienced a decline in neonatal mortality rates between 2010 to 2022, they increased in Wales over this period.

“In light of significant and well-publicised issues over recent years at several Welsh health boards, we have similar concerns as to the quality of maternity care here in Wales. Indeed, across several metrics, there is reason to believe that maternity services in Wales are currently in a worse state than those in England.

“As was shown by the latest Llais report into the Singleton Hospital Maternity Unit, a lack of institutional accountability is compounding clinical failures. Undertaking an investigation of this nature would go a long way towards rebuilding the trust of the public after years of deteriorating standards.”