Mode of birth by health board providing the service
Includes live births and still births
None
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Spontaneous vaginal birth
Metadata
- High level information
- Summary information
- Keywords
- Statistical quality information
- Weblinks
- Open Data
Title
Mode of birth by health board providing the serviceLast update
August 2025Next update
July 2026 (provisional)Publishing organisation
Welsh GovernmentSource 1
Maternity Indicators data setContact email
stats.healthinfo@gov.walesLowest level of geographical disaggregation
Local health boardsGeographical coverage
Local health boardsLanguages covered
English and WelshData licensing
You may use and re-use this data free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government License - see http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licenceGeneral description
This data is derived from the Maternity Indicators dataset which is provided to the Welsh Government by Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW).The Maternity Indicators dataset was established in 2016. It combines records from a mother’s initial assessment with a child’s birth record and enabled Welsh Government to monitor its initial set of outcome indicators and performance measures (Maternity Indicators) which were established to measure the effectiveness and quality of Welsh maternity services.
The Maternity Indicators dataset allows us to analyse characteristics of the mother’s pregnancy and birth process. The process for producing this data extract is complex largely because there can be multiple initial assessment data and records for both initial assessments and births are not always complete.
Full details of every data item available in the Maternity Indicators dataset are available through the NHS Wales Data Dictionary: http://www.datadictionary.wales.nhs.uk/#!WordDocuments/datasetstructure20.htm
The mode of birth relates to how the baby was delivered and is often different to the mode of onset of labour.
There are three modes of birth recorded in the MI ds and they are defined as: caesarean section: elective and emergency caesarean section deliveries; instrumental: forceps cephalic deliveries and ventouse (vacuum) deliveries; and spontaneous vaginal: baby born by maternal effort.
Data collection and calculation
Data from the Maternity Indicators dataset only includes initial assessment data where the initial assessment and birth both occurred in the same health board, in Wales only.Data should include all hospital births and some home births; however, due to the way data is recorded, we are unable to distinguish between home and hospital births in some health boards. Births to Welsh resident mothers who gave birth in England or in any other country outside of Wales are not included in the data.
Data for each calendar year refers to when the baby was born for both birth and initial assessment statistics. Initial assessments may have taken place in the previous year but would be counted in the year in which the birth occurred. This ensures data throughout a single pregnancy is recorded in the same year.
Frequency of publication
AnnualData reference periods
2016-2024Users, uses and context
These statistics will be used in a variety of ways. Some examples of these are:• advice to Ministers
• to inform debate in the Welsh Parliament and beyond
• to make publicly available data on child health statistics in Wales
• monitoring service delivery
• policy development
• providing advice on birth choices
The main users are:
• Ministers, policy officials and the Members Research Service
• local health boards
• the public
• the research community
• students, academics and universities
• Public Health Wales and other NHS organisations
• voluntary birth organisations.
Rounding applied
No rounding appliedRevisions information
The Maternity Indicators dataset is a live database, meaning health boards can amend data for any period. For this data, DHCW take data extracts from a single point in time, for the latest calendar year. This means that if data extracts are taken for previous time periods, they may differ to the data which is published as it may have been revised by health boards. Welsh Government will not make revisions to historical data unless errors are discovered.Keywords
mode of birth; mode of deliveryStatistical quality
From 1st April 2019 health service provision for residents of Bridgend local authority moved from Abertawe Bro Morgannwg to Cwm Taf. For more information see the joint statement from Cwm Taf and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Boards (see weblinks). The health board names have changed with Cwm Taf University Health Board becoming Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board becoming Swansea Bay University Health Board.Data for Abertawe Bro Morgannwg and Cwm Taf are available for previous years in this table by selecting the tick boxes in the Area drop-down box.
More detailed information on the sources of data and analyses in this statistical release are provided in the quality report: https://www.gov.wales/maternity-and-birth-statistics-quality-report' target='newtab'>https://www.gov.wales/maternity-and-birth-statistics-quality-report
In 2024, Aneurin Bevan did not provide correctly recorded data for this data item so have been excluded from the analysis. Data for Wales represents the remaining 6 health boards.
The percentages are based on records with valid data for mode of birth reported by the 6 health boards that are included in the Wales total. For more information see the quality report:
https://www.gov.wales/maternity-and-birth-statistics-quality-report' target='newtab'>https://www.gov.wales/maternity-and-birth-statistics-quality-report
Weblinks
https://gov.wales/maternity-and-birth-statisticshttps://cwmtaf.wales/welsh-government-announce-decision-on-bridgend-boundary-change/
https://gov.wales/written-statement-health-board-boundary-bridgend-associated-planning
