Released on: 26 February 2026
Yesterday, the “The Path to Safer Beginnings Assessment in Wales” was published. It heard from 600 parents, women, families and staff. In response, an NCT spokesperson said:
“‘The Path to Safer Beginnings Assessment in Wales’ provides another stark reminder of why personalised, safe, respectful, and culturally competent care is so important – yet not a reality for every woman or pregnant person.
“NCT’s own research echo these findings: Almost 4 in 10 parents in Wales felt that the safety of their baby was at risk during labour.
“While good quality care is happening, this assessment makes it clear that change is urgently needed to ensure that every parent is safe, listened to and supported throughout pregnancy, birth and the early days of parenthood.”
“New and expectant parents in Wales will welcome that their government has accepted all the recommendations in whole or in part, spanning national leadership, data and safety, governance, continuity of care, triage and induction, workforce planning, mental health pathways and neonatal commissioning. But parents will also want transparency over how and when these will be implemented, and we would expect regular public updates on progress and improvements over the coming months and years.
“We strongly support the call for a long-term multidisciplinary workforce plan and for Health Boards to urgently address these staffing pressures and create safer care.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
About NCT's report:
NCT’s report, ‘From expectation to reality: Parents’ experiences of pregnancy, birth, and life with a newborn’
The survey was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of NCT between 5th and 16th September 2025. It gathered responses from 2,010 parents of children under five, including 500 women and people who are currently pregnant.
