Meeting of the Parliament 19 November 2025
I recognise the challenges that the local health board is facing with recruitment for midwifery. Home births that are supported by a midwife are available, and there has been a step forward in the increasing of local services, such as scanning and antenatal care, which reduces the need for long journeys during pregnancy. That is welcome progress. We are also implementing our best start recommendations on the continuity of carers, community hubs and the greater use of Near Me for remoter consultation. It is unfair to characterise that as no progress.
When families must travel for specialist or neonatal paediatric care, our young patients family fund helps to cover food, travel and accommodation costs.
Looking ahead, the service renewal framework sets out a long-term reform agenda. One major change is improving access to services and treatments in the community, including planning for the unique needs of rural and island communities. Alongside the population health framework, it prioritises improving access to treatment, shifting the balance of care closer to people’s homes and ensuring that resources deliver the greatest impact.
A key part of that is the new subnational planning approach, which brings decisions closer to regions to reflect local priorities and integrate health and social care. That will deliver consistent core services nationwide so that everyone receives high-quality care, flexibility for remote and rural needs, and fair resource allocation that accounts for geography, workforce and transport, not just population size. Those approaches already embed equity of access as a core principle. Our recent direction letter asks health boards to demonstrate how remote and rural services are protected.
Access to healthcare is not just a service, it is a fundamental right.