The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Wales) Regulations 2023

Maternity medical services

5.—(1) A contractor must provide all the necessary maternity medical services to—

(a) patients who have been diagnosed as pregnant throughout the antenatal period;

(b) patients and their babies throughout the postnatal period, other than neonatal checks;

(c) patients whose pregnancy has terminated as a result of miscarriage or abortion or, where the contractor has a conscientious objection to the termination of pregnancy, the contractor must promptly refer the patient to another provider of primary medical services who does not have such conscientious objections.

(2) In this paragraph—

“antenatal period” (“cyfnod cynenedigol”) means the period from the start of the pregnancy to the onset of labour;

“maternity medical services” (“gwasanaethau meddygol mamolaeth”) means—

(a)

in relation to patients (other than babies) all primary medical services relating to pregnancy, excluding intra partum care; and

(b)

in relation to babies, any primary medical services necessary to their first 14 days of life;

“neonatal check” (“gwiriad newydd-anedig”) means the examination of the baby in the first month after birth;

“postnatal period” (“cyfnod ôl-enedigol”) means the period beginning with the conclusion of delivery of the baby or the patient’s discharge from secondary care services, whichever is the later, and ending with the 14th day after the birth.