Official opening of £25.2m maternity and neonatal facilities at Glangwili Hospital

6 February 2025

Hywel Dda University Health Board (UHB) today welcomed Jeremy Miles, MS Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, to officially open maternity and neonatal facilities at Glangwili Hospital.

Following a £25.2m Welsh Government investment, the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU), delivery suites and obstetric theatre accommodation at the Carmarthen hospital have been modernised for the benefit of families across mid and west Wales.

The purpose built SCBU provides high dependency and special care level of care to premature and unwell newborn babies, with improved facilities and modern technology.

Welcoming its first families in 2022, the clinical space meets national guidance with four ensuite overnight rooms for parents and a family sitting room. The environment has also significantly improved the patient and staff experience in line with Bliss and UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiatives.

The labour ward, which also opened for use in 2022, includes five standard ensuite birthing rooms with ensuite, one birthing room with a fixed pool, and one birthing room equipped to deal with multiple or complex births. This is in addition to the Midwife Led Unit (MLU) which opened in 2015.

Improvements to the theatres were completed in 2023 to meet the requirements of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Review (Sept 2015) and includes an additional obstetric theatre and anaesthesia room. This can allow for both elective and emergency procedures to be undertaken at the same time.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Miles said: “It was fantastic to officially open the new maternity and neonatal facilities at Glangwili Hospital today, and to see how our investment into these state-of-the-art facilities will support staff to continue delivering high quality care to families closer to home and help give the most vulnerable babies in our communities, the best possible start to life.

“I’d like to thank all the dedicated staff who are caring for and supporting babies and families each day.”

Dr Neil Wooding, Chair of Hywel Dda UHB, said: “It is wonderful to come together today to celebrate the official opening of this important development.

“I’d like to thank and congratulate all involved who have ensured our mid and west Wales communities have access to modern facilities that improve the well-being and experience of babies, their families and staff.”

Lisa Humphrey, General Manager for Women and Children’s Services at Hywel Dda UHB, commented: “As project director I would like to thank all of the parents, staff and the contractors for their contribution to the delivery of this scheme.

“Having up-to-date facilities enhances the delivery of high-quality care that the team already provide in an environment that improves well-being for babies, their families and staff.”