In the first First Ministers’ Questions after the summer recess, on Monday, 14 September, MS James Evans challenged First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth MS for an update on work with Swansea Bay University Health Board following the recent pause in fertility treatment.

The First Minister confirmed that the immediate workforce issue affecting the service has now been resolved and that a phased resumption is planned from Tuesday, 22 September. He also said the Health Board has begun contacting patients about the next steps in their treatment.

Mr Evans welcomed the restart but challenged claims that patients already receiving treatment had been unaffected, highlighting the experience of people waiting for frozen embryo transfers who were told their treatment would not begin. He also warned that the disruption has affected families across a huge geographical area and called for greater workforce resilience so patients are not left facing lengthy delays during an already difficult and time-sensitive fertility journey.

The First Minister acknowledged the need for greater resilience and said work is continuing with the Joint Commissioning Committee to address wider workforce challenges and explore interim support arrangements.

James Evans MS, Shadow Minister for Health, Prevention and Sport, said: “I’m pleased that the immediate workforce issue has been resolved and that treatment is due to restart from 22nd September, but we also need to be honest that people were affected by this pause, including patients waiting for frozen embryo transfers.

“Going through fertility treatment is already incredibly difficult, and families should not have the added uncertainty of whether the service itself has enough resilience to continue their care. We cannot allow ourselves to end up in this position again.

“Time matters enormously in fertility treatment. The Welsh Government and Health Board now need to make sure the workforce, contingency arrangements and long-term planning are in place so patients are not left waiting year after year for the chance to start a family.”