Health

Women driven to end pregnancies amid row over £28 drug

Published

3 months ago

December 8, 2025

A DOCTOR who facilitated abortions for two women with much-wanted pregnancies was not allowed to prescribe a £28 anti-sickness drug due to cost-effectiveness rules in Wales.

The stark warning came as petitioners called on the Welsh Government to place Xonvea, the only licensed medication for severe pregnancy sickness, on the routine prescription list.

Georgina Forbes, a specialist doctor in Gwent, revealed she facilitated terminations for two women who were suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) in a single week. HG, which affects about 3% of pregnancies, leads to extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting.

“Both pregnancies were very much planned and wanted,” she wrote. “Both had multiple admissions and were on other medical treatments which were not giving adequate relief.

“For the sake of their physical and mental health, they felt their only option was to terminate their much-wanted pregnancies – inevitably having a further impact on their well-being.”

She warned of distress for the patients and staff involved because Xonvea “may well be the medication that provides symptomatic relief but departments are not allowed to prescribe it”.

Dr Forbes, chair of the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare’s Wales committee, noted Xonvea costs £28 for a 10-day supply – “far less than the cost of admission”. She urged Welsh ministers to ensure women are not “left behind compared to other UK nations”.

In 2019, the drug was rejected for routine use by the All-Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) – which advises ministers – due to “insufficient” evidence of cost-effectiveness. Scotland reached a similar conclusion while access in England is inconsistent.

But campaigners argue the decision is a false economy. Data submitted to the Senedd’s petitions committee highlighted a two-night hospital admission to rehydrate a woman with severe sickness costs the NHS £850, with ambulance call-outs costing a further £238.

Petitioner Sarah Spooner, from Monmouthshire, argued the “myopic approach” ignores the costs of untreated sickness such as perinatal mental health support.

Ms Spooner, whose pregnancy sickness was so severe she had to have a termination, warned of inequality in access to treatments. She recalled having to travel to an abortion clinic in Bargoed to get medication, a process she described as “immensely difficult”.

While the Welsh Government has insisted health boards have discretion to prescribe the drug “when other treatments… are ineffective”, staff and patients report a different reality.

Ms Spooner’s 947-name petition warned women face a “postcode lottery” for care, with only two Welsh health boards making Xonvea more widely available.

She was contacted by Heather Kosick, a Canadian doctor, who was horrified by her story.

Dr Kosick wrote: “Here in Canada Xonvea, also called Diclectin, is readily available to all pregnant women. In fact, it is considered the first-line agent for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy due to its extensive safety data.”

Ms Spooner volunteers for the Pregnancy Sickness Support charity which pointed out that Xonvea has been prescribed globally for years, with an estimated 30 million women treated.

The charity highlighted that 57% of patients are forced to cycle through three or more ineffective drugs before being offered Xonvea, which 83% of women found effective.

One patient reported being hospitalised seven times during a pregnancy without Xonvea but zero admissions during a subsequent pregnancy when she was prescribed the drug.

About 5% of women with HG end a wanted pregnancy due to the severity of symptoms, according to a 2021 study, which found 52% considered termination.

The study, from the Obstetric Medicine journal, found 25.5% of respondents occasionally experienced suicidal thoughts while 6.6% reported frequent suicidal ideation.

Writing to the petitions committee, Wales’ health secretary Jeremy Miles said the 2019 AWMSG appraisal remains the “most up-to-date and comprehensive evaluation”.

He told the committee health boards can make Xonvea available in certain circumstances, with more than 1,140 prescriptions issued between January and July 2025. He added that the manufacturer was “unable” to provide updated information to support a reappraisal.

Mr Miles wrote: “We must ensure our health service treats all conditions and diseases fairly. Taking an evidence-based approach helps us to do this, whatever the disease, by ensuring resources are targeted at where the evidence indicates people will gain the most benefit.”

During today’s (December 8) meeting, Senedd members paid tribute to women for sharing their “horrendous” experiences before deciding to ask the AWMSG to reconsider its position.

Plaid Cymru’s Caerphilly MS Lindsay Whittle said: “I don’t think you can put a price on young families, young couples who wish to start a family and have undergone such traumatic decisions.”

He stressed: “Cost should simply not be the issue – families are suffering.”

Caerphilly's Plaid Cymru MS Lindsay Whittle — Caerphilly’s Plaid Cymru MS Lindsay Whitt

Health

Welsh Ambulance Service to host bi-monthly Board meeting

Published

3 days ago

March 13, 2026

Tom Sinclair

THE WELSH AMBULANCE SERVICE is preparing to host its bi-monthly Board meeting – and the public are invited.

Join the meeting on Thursday 26 March via Microsoft Teams to hear senior leaders cover a full agenda, including approval of the Integrated Medium-Term Plan for 2026-29, which outlines what the organisation will prioritise and deliver, how it will use its resources and how it will continue to improve care for the people of Wales over the next three years.

Board members will approve the initial revenue budget for the year ahead and receive an update on current financial performance.

The Board will also hear from Mr Clarke from Cwmbran, who describes an experience of trying to access help via 999 for his late father who was terminally ill.

There will also be an opportunity to pose a question to the Board.

Chair Colin Dennis said: “Board meetings give you the opportunity to really get to know our ambulance service, with a clear view of how important decisions are shaped and the processes behind them.

“They also create a forum to hear directly about ongoing work, explore how we can strengthen support for the Trust’s staff and patients, and connect with the people responsible for shaping those decisions.”

Click here to watch the Board meeting on Thursday 26 March 2026 from 9.30am.

This link will be active from 10 minutes before the meeting starts.

To pre-submit a question, please email [email protected] by no later than Wednesday 25 March 2026.An agenda will be available on the Trust’s website in the days prior to the meeting.

Health

Pharmacies carry out record number of consultations for common health issues

Published

3 days ago

March 13, 2026

Tom Sinclair

PHARMACIES across Wales carried out more than 600,000 clinical consultations for a wide range of common health issues over the last twelve months, according to the latest community pharmacy services statistics.

Almost 346,000 people used the Common Ailments Service, which offers free advice and treatment for twenty-seven common conditions and is available in ninety-nine per cent of pharmacies across Wales.

Figures covering April 2024 to March 2025 show that more than 462,000 Common Ailments Service consultations took place during the period – the highest number ever recorded.

The most frequent reasons people sought help from their local pharmacy included sore throats, hay fever, conjunctivitis and dermatitis.

Pharmacies also carried out more than 53,000 consultations specifically for sore throat treatment, around 33,000 consultations for contraception advice and treatment, and over 121,000 consultations to provide emergency supplies of medicines.

During those emergency consultations pharmacists issued more than 189,000 prescription-only medicines to patients who had run out of medication and were unable to obtain a new prescription in time.

In addition to these consultations, pharmacies across Wales dispensed more than eighty million prescription items over the same twelve-month period.

The Common Ailments Service allows people to receive treatment closer to home while helping free up GP appointments for patients with more complex or urgent medical needs.

Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said: “Community pharmacies play a vital role in providing healthcare across Wales.

“Nearly half a million consultations in a single year shows just how much people value being able to walk into their local pharmacy and get the help they need quickly, without having to wait for a GP appointment.

“We are working to ensure more people can receive convenient care closer to home, and expanding access to these services is a key part of that.

“The right care, in the right place, at the right time — that is what people in Wales want, and what our pharmacies are delivering.”

Community

Lessons from COVID-19 highlight need to strengthen voluntary sector resilience

Published

3 days ago

March 13, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A NEW report has urged the Welsh Government to work more closely with voluntary organisations to ensure communities are better prepared for future emergencies.

The call comes from the Senedd’s Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee, which examined how lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic have shaped Wales’ current emergency planning.

The report highlights the crucial role played by voluntary groups during the pandemic, particularly in supporting vulnerable people and responding quickly to rising community needs.

Clair Swales, Chief Executive of the Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO), welcomed the committee’s findings and its recommendation that government bodies strengthen collaboration with the voluntary sector and commissioning organisations.

The recommendation includes making greater use of long-term funding arrangements to support infrastructure investment and improve the sector’s ability to respond to sudden surges in demand during emergencies.

Giving evidence to the committee last November, Swales warned that continued financial pressures across the sector could weaken its ability to respond effectively in future crises.

She said: “If I was asked to bring the third sector together to respond to an emergency at this moment, I could. However, future involvement may become more challenging as the sector continues to face significant financial and capacity pressures.”

The committee’s report, published on Tuesday (Mar 11), explored how the Welsh Government and public bodies responded to the pandemic and what improvements have been made since.

It also considered findings from Module 1 of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, which examined resilience and preparedness across the UK.

Swales said the report recognises that the work carried out by voluntary organisations during the pandemic came at a significant cost to the sector.

She added: “Evidence from a number of voluntary organisations shows the sector is facing considerable funding and resource challenges.

“We will continue to work with commissioners and the Powys third sector to maximise opportunities, represent the sector’s voice in policy and investment discussions, and ensure rural communities are considered when funding and commissioning services.”

The report has been submitted to the Welsh Government and will be debated by Members of the Senedd during a plenary session on Wednesday (Mar 18).

Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations is the County Voluntary Council for Powys and operates offices in Newtown and Llandrindod Wells.