'Hospital failings left my son unable to move'

Parents of a lad near with lifelong disabilities owed to infirmary failings during his commencement accidental nary lessons person been learnt.

Sian and Rob Channon's lad Gethin was calved astatine Swansea's Singleton infirmary successful 2019 and accidental his beingness was "destroyed earlier helium took his ain breath" aft being near with a superior encephalon injury.

It comes arsenic a study into the hospital's maternity and neonatal services recovered large women were near unsocial successful labour oregon had to springiness commencement extracurricular due areas, with immoderate mums saying they decided not to person much children arsenic a effect of their experiences.

Swansea Bay wellness committee apologised to parents with a "poor experience" and said it was focused connected strengthening its services.

Llais, which represents patients successful Wales, based its study connected much than 500 people's experiences of maternity and neonatal services astatine Swansea's Singleton Hospital.

The report, carried retired implicit respective months astatine the extremity of 2024, heard astir failings successful safety, prime of attraction and respect astatine astir each stage.

Many families felt ignored oregon incapable to rise concerns and Llais could not find anybody who shared "an wholly affirmative acquisition of their care".

The wellness committee insisted a fig of changes person been made but Llais said "cultural, objective and leadership" improvements were needed.

The astir superior concerns successful the study revolve astir mothers who felt the information of their babies could person been "at risk", with Llais proceeding "distressing stories" of women being near unsocial successful labour and failures to recognise and dainty infections.

Mr Channon said it was horrifying knowing that Gethin's concern was "avoidable".

"As a effect of catastrophic failings, helium was near with lifelong disabilities. A superior encephalon wounded that has shortened his beingness anticipation and near him truly struggling time to day.

"Gethin can't walk. Gethin can't determination connected his own. He's fed done a fastener successful his stomach. He's wholly reliant connected different radical for each facet of his life."

Mrs Channon said they recovered it precise hard to spell retired anyplace wherever they spot different children.

"You can't assistance but comparison children of Gethin's property and wonderment wherefore your lad isn't moving astir and splashing successful the sea."

The couple, who were archetypal made alert of what went incorrect during Gethin's commencement successful 2022, said they were furious a study successful 2025 "shows nary lessons person been learnt".

A full of 76% of radical who took portion successful the survey reported a antagonistic acquisition oregon identified failures successful the prime of their care, including feeling similar being connected "a conveyor belt", oregon "lost successful a system".

Several women said they were not afloat monitored and had to propulsion for examinations.

One mum was near feeling "like a slab of meat" aft being near "covered successful blood".

She added: "I had 1 idiosyncratic taking my apparel off, different inserting a catheter. I was bare and uncovered. My catheter was near successful for 26 hours. I had a horrific acquisition and conscionable left."

One parent said: "This acquisition is 1 of the main reasons I volition not person much children. I cannot spell done each that again."

Another said: "At commencement I wasn't checked for 2 hours. I went to the toilet and rang the exigency cord - I gave commencement successful the toilet cubicle."

A abstracted ongoing autarkic reappraisal of the wellness board's maternity services, commissioned aft serious concerns astir maternity services were recorded in 2023 and 2024, is acceptable to beryllium published successful the summer.

Llais said it wanted to springiness much families an accidental to stock their experiences.

Llais said it was concerning that lone 48% of respondents felt progressive successful decisions astir their care, fixed the value of informed consent and shared decision-making.

Many respondents felt "pressurised" into having their babies induced without afloat treatment of the risks, benefits and alternatives.

Although the study heard examples of unit providing compassionate, nonrecreational and supportive care, it recovered these were often tied to circumstantial individuals.

Others described a "dismissive" civilization with 1 pistillate feeling "judged" aft asking for a bath, and was besides told "it isn't the Hilton" for asking for a pillow.

The study said "a accordant and profoundly concerning theme" was radical not being listened to, adjacent erstwhile they raised superior concerns.

One parent said she was told to instrumentality paracetamol and "rest up" erstwhile she phoned a advisor acrophobic astir reduced question of her unborn kid pursuing a car accident.

She said: "I aboriginal recovered retired that an mishap is 1 of the main causes of a placental abruption. Which is however we really mislaid our son. They didn't perceive astatine all."

Inadequate oregon nary symptom alleviation was besides a predominant complaint, with galore women describing being made to consciousness they were overreacting oregon imagining things.

This included pistillate being told they were not successful pain, being wrongly told they were not successful the process of giving commencement oregon being questioned astir wherefore they needed symptom alleviation instantly aft stitches.

Just 53% of respondents reported postnatal attraction was "positive", portion 21% identified mediocre care, including feeling neglected, unsupported and adjacent unsafe.

"I had to locomotion 2 wards to get to my babe aft country [then] I collapsed astatine the reception desk," said 1 respondent.

Some women spoke of being incapable to scope their newborn owed to a deficiency of assistance aft having caesareans.

"I couldn't scope my baby. I was told: 'You're the mum, we don't person to bash everything for you'," said 1 respondent.

Some women with babies successful the neonatal intensive attraction portion said they were near to negociate their ain betterment and were incapable capable to spot their babies.

Some women told the study stereotypes affected their care, with achromatic women describing being perceived arsenic "aggressive" and others feeling "invisible".

Some who spoke English arsenic a 2nd connection said they recovered it hard to recognize information.

One caller mum, a healthcare professional, said she was warned complaining astir her attraction could endanger her quality to practise medicine successful the UK, which she felt led to terrible postnatal slump and the breakdown of her marriage.

Llais said it wants acknowledgement from the wellness committee of the standard and quality of mediocre attraction and committedness to usage the study and the autarkic reappraisal findings to larn and study regularly connected performance.

It has besides asked the Welsh authorities to promote the improvement of a nationalist attack to enactment those harmed by mediocre maternity care.

Medwin Hughes, president of Llais, said: "What's needed present is continued enactment crossed the strategy to marque definite those experiences are heard and acted on."

Health committee main enforcement Abi Harris said the organisation was "completely focused connected strengthening our services and the Llais study recognises galore of the improvements that person been made".

"We volition respond afloat to each the recommendations of each these important reports unneurotic and guarantee we larn and enactment connected them," she added.

Chairwoman Jan Williams apologised and said she was grateful for the study and did not "underestimate however hard it volition person been for individuals who person had a antagonistic acquisition of our services to relive that portion contributing".

The Welsh authorities said its main interest was for the payment of the mothers and babies.

In a statement, it said: "Considerable enactment is ongoing to amended the information and prime of maternity services successful Swansea Bay, but arsenic the Llais study indicates, determination is inactive much to bash to amended the experiences for each women."

It added it had commissioned an appraisal of the information and prime of each maternity units successful Wales to "measure the interaction of caller interventions made".