Written question WQ96856
- Asked by
- Siân GwenllianPlaid
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 8 days
Question
What mechanisms are in place to monitor whether mother and baby units - including those outside Wales serving patients from Wales - comply in practice with the requirement in the Quality Statement for Maternity Services that Welsh language services are proactively offered?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
Our Quality Statement for Maternity and Neonatal Services in Wales sets out what high-quality services look like and what women and families can expect.
It highlights the importance of equitable access to physical and mental health support throughout the perinatal journey, regardless of location. Care may be provided outside a person’s health board, and people should be able to communicate in their preferred language and method, with active promotion of the Welsh language.
Access to services in Welsh, especially at vulnerable times, is vital to person-centred care. Good communication ensures dignity and respect. The More Than Just Words framework is designed to improve care in a bilingual nation.
NHS commissioners are expected to work with providers to ensure information is provided in a person’s language of choice, wherever practicably possible. There is also an expectation that when a placement is commissioned, the commissioners work with the provider to ensure continuity of care, which includes supporting a person’s language needs. Requests for further detail about this process should be directed to the relevant NHS commissioner.