A national assessment of all maternity and neonatal services in Wales will begin this month, the Health Secretary has confirmed.

The all-Wales assurance assessment will be independently chaired and will take account of the findings of the recent reviews of maternity and neonatal services across the UK.

The move follows maternity services at Swansea Bay Health Board being escalated to the second highest level of intervention.

Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said: “Together, we must commit to delivering the best possible experiences and outcomes for all women during pregnancy and birth. 

“All women and babies must receive good-quality, safe and compassionate care.

“Their voices must be heard during pregnancy and birth and they must be included in plans to improve services improvement.”