The Swansea Bay University Health Board confirmed that work will begin on 13 October to fix a significant roof leak and install a new air cooling system. The decision follows a review by the Royal College of Psychiatry, which raised concerns that temperatures inside the unit had exceeded safe sleep standards for babies.
The health board said the closure was unavoidable, stressing that the safety of patients and staff was the overriding priority.
Uned Gobaith — meaning “Unit of Hope” — opened in April 2021 and is the only inpatient perinatal mental health unit in Wales. It was established after years of campaigning by families and clinicians, who warned that mothers experiencing severe mental health problems during or after pregnancy were being forced either onto adult psychiatric wards without their babies, or sent across the border to England for specialist care.
The unit has six bedrooms designed for mothers and their babies, with space for up to seven infants to allow for multiple births. It offers a homely environment with shared living and kitchen areas, a playroom, quiet room and sensory room. Family accommodation is also available for those travelling long distances. A multidisciplinary team — including psychiatrists, mental health nurses, psychologists, midwives, social workers, health visitors and nursery nurses — provides round‑the‑clock care.
The closure means that, for the first time since the unit opened, women in Wales who need inpatient perinatal mental health support may again face being admitted to independent sector beds or sent further afield. The health board’s perinatal mental health team will continue to manage admissions and liaise with the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee to secure alternative provision.
A spokesperson for Swansea Bay University Health Board said:
“This is a temporary, but absolutely necessary measure and it will result in a safer and more suitable environment for everyone in the future.”
The Maternal Mental Health Alliance has previously described the opening of Uned Gobaith as “a significant difference to the lives of women and their families” in Wales. Campaigners have long argued that access to specialist perinatal care is a matter of equality, pointing out that before 2021, Welsh mothers in crisis were often separated from their babies or forced to travel to Bristol or further.
The temporary closure also comes at a time when the health board’s wider maternity services are under intense scrutiny. As Swansea Bay News has reported, a Llais report revealed shocking accounts from new mothers at Singleton Hospital, including claims of women being left in blood‑soaked sheets and dismissed when raising concerns. Following three damning independent reviews, the Welsh Government escalated maternity services at Singleton to the highest level of intervention, and a Scottish health leader has been brought in to oversee reforms.
Work at Uned Gobaith is expected to be completed within four to six weeks, with the unit due to reopen before the end of November.
