Welsh Conservative shadow health secretary, Angela Burns AM, has made the following statement in response to the findings of The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s (RCPCH) report, which found a number of “shortfalls” in the Welsh NHS’ delivery of neonatal care:
“The issue of neonatal care has been raised innumerable times by my constituents, with one mother even having to travel from Carmarthenshire to Swindon for an available bed.
“A shortage of beds, understaffing in units, poor planning and a lack of sufficient training are concerns that continue to go unaddressed by the Welsh Government, so it is no surprise that a professional body has now identified these failings.
“Around 35,000 babies are born each year in Wales, and 9-10% of these will need admission to a neonatal unit, with as many as four in every five of these babies are not receiving a sufficient level of care.
“It is vital that the Labour administration sets this right; it is simply not good enough that babies, already in fragile health, are placed at unnecessary risk.”
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