Wales rolls out NHS ‘Call for Concern’ maternity safety scheme

The Welsh government is rolling out ‘Call for Concern’, a new NHS scheme designed to provide maternity and neonatal patients and their families with a direct route to escalate urgent health concerns. Announced by Delyth Jewell, Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health, the initiative aims to empower families to request further clinical reviews if they feel a patient's health is deteriorating and their worries have not been adequately addressed by medical staff.

The scheme draws inspiration from ‘Ryan’s rule’ in Australia and ‘Martha’s rule’ in England. It consists of two primary components: a structured method for patients to record their symptoms and a clear escalation pathway to request additional medical oversight. The program is being implemented across adult, paediatric, maternity, and neonatal wards.

Several health boards have already begun integration. Cardiff and Vale has updated neonatal documentation, Swansea Bay has launched the scheme in maternity services, and Cwm Taf Morgannwg is developing escalation pathways. Betsi Cadwaladr is embedding patient wellness questions into existing systems and plans to implement the scheme this month, followed by a consistency audit.