SANDS is calling for all Senedd election candidates from every political party to publicly sign a pledge – committing to a future where fewer babies die, and all bereaved parents in Wales get the care and support they need.
Once candidates have signed the pledge their names will be added to a roll call on Sands’ website.
The charity is campaigning, alongside a group of bereaved parents in Wales, calling for targets to save more babies’ lives and better care for people following pregnancy or baby loss.
Ruth Mason is one of the bereaved parents who are leading the campaign in Wales alongside Sands. Ruth’s twin boys George and Henry were stillborn together in 2018.
Ruth Mason said: “I believe strongly that now is the time for action and that families across Wales deserve better care before, during and after pregnancy.
“All of us bereaved parents stand with Sands in calling for a commitment from all the political candidates to pledge to put these issues at the top of their to do list, if they are elected to the Senedd at the 2026 elections.
“We hope our voices are listened to and that our words resonate with those who have the power to make these changes.”
Sadly, the stillbirth rate in Wales has been consistently higher than the rate for the rest of the UK and there has been no sustained drop in the number of babies being stillborn in Wales since 2018.
There has also been a lack of sustained progress in reducing the rate of babies dying shortly after birth in Wales.
Sands has calculated that over 1,000 babies in Walesmay have survived if stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates had been the same as the best performing countries in Europe between 2019-2023.
Too many bereaved families in Wales are not receiving the compassionate care they deserve when their baby dies – both at the time in hospital, and in the weeks and months that follow.
There are stark regional inequalities across Wales in access to these services. More rural communities often have less access to specialist support, and services are rarely tailored to the needs of the different communities across Wales.
Only 5% of bereaved parents in Wales told us that they could access the mental health support they wanted through the NHS. These were the lowest figures across the UK.
Sands’ Chief Executive Clea Harmer said: “The bereaved parents that we are supporting to campaign are passionate about the need for change. There is a huge lack of care and support for people who experience pregnancy or baby loss in Wales.
“Too many bereaved families are not receiving the compassionate care they deserve when their baby dies – both at the time in hospital, and in the weeks and months that follow.
“Every bereaved parent deserves access to high-quality bereavement and mental health care. We must work together to save more babies’ lives and better support bereaved families.”
Sands is calling on the next Welsh Government to:
- prioritise making maternity care safer.
- implement clear targets to reduce stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
- make sure that services have the resource and support they need so that all bereaved parents can access the care they need after loss.
Sands is calling for all Senedd election candidates from every political party to publicly sign a pledge – committing to a future where fewer babies die, and all bereaved parents in Wales get the care and support they need.
Once candidates have signed the pledge their names will be added to a roll call on Sands’ website.
The charity is campaigning, alongside a group of bereaved parents in Wales, calling for targets to save more babies’ lives and better care for people following pregnancy or baby loss.
Ruth Mason is one of the bereaved parents who are leading the campaign in Wales alongside Sands. Ruth’s twin boys George and Henry were stillborn together in 2018.
Ruth Mason said: “I believe strongly that now is the time for action and that families across Wales deserve better care before, during and after pregnancy.
“All of us bereaved parents stand with Sands in calling for a commitment from all the political candidates to pledge to put these issues at the top of their to do list, if they are elected to the Senedd at the 2026 elections.
“We hope our voices are listened to and that our words resonate with those who have the power to make these changes.”
Sadly, the stillbirth rate in Wales has been consistently higher than the rate for the rest of the UK and there has been no sustained drop in the number of babies being stillborn in Wales since 2018.
There has also been a lack of sustained progress in reducing the rate of babies dying shortly after birth in Wales.
Sands has calculated that over 1,000 babies in Wales may have survived if stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates had been the same as the best performing countries in Europe between 2019-2023.
Too many bereaved families in Wales are not receiving the compassionate care they deserve when their baby dies – both at the time in hospital, and in the weeks and months that follow.
There are stark regional inequalities across Wales in access to these services. More rural communities often have less access to specialist support, and services are rarely tailored to the needs of the different communities across Wales.
Only 5% of bereaved parents in Wales told us that they could access the mental health support they wanted through the NHS. These were the lowest figures across the UK.
Sands’ Chief Executive Clea Harmer said: “The bereaved parents that we are supporting to campaign are passionate about the need for change. There is a huge lack of care and support for people who experience pregnancy or baby loss in Wales.
“Too many bereaved families are not receiving the compassionate care they deserve when their baby dies – both at the time in hospital, and in the weeks and months that follow.
“Every bereaved parent deserves access to high-quality bereavement and mental health care. We must work together to save more babies’ lives and better support bereaved families.”
Sands is calling on the next Welsh Government to:
- Prioritise making maternity care safer.
- Implement clear targets to reduce stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
- Make sure that services have the resource and support they need so that all bereaved parents can access the care they need after loss.
Sands provides a safe, understanding and caring community for anyone touched by pregnancy or baby loss.
The charity offers many types of support, including a telephone helpline, email support, and online group sessions. Sands also has a network of local groups across Wales offering peer-led support in the community and social media groups helping people connect wherever they are.
