A JOINT investigation has been launched into how a woman’s baby died after waiting two hours for an ambulance.

Aneurin Bevan Health Board and the Welsh ambulance service confirmed yesterday it was looking into the incident which a Gwent AM has described as "sickening".

Jocelyn Davies, Plaid AM for South Wales East, said women will not be prepared to have babies in birth centres run by midwives if they don’t have confidence in the ambulance service.

The Argus reported yesterday how Welsh health minister Lesley Griffiths called for an inquiry after Ms Davies raised the Caerphilly woman’s case in the Senedd.

Ms Davies said the woman had been due to have a normal birth at the midwiferyled birth service at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr, Ystrad Mynach last week, but a decision was made for her to have an emergency caesarean section.

She needed to go to the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, but it was two hours before an ambulance came to take her. An attempt at a forceps delivery was made at the Royal Gwent, but the baby died.

Ms Davies, whose daughter Louise was stillborn in 1988, said she wanted an assurance there would be a full and proper inquiry so the family could get answers.

She added: “Women will not be prepared to have deliveries in midwife-led centres unless they have confidence that ambulances will be available in good time to take them to another centre should they need another intervention.

“When the member of the family first contacted me, I was shocked.

“When I was sent further details of what had happened, I was absolutely sickened for this young family.”

A joint statement from Aneurin Bevan Health Board and the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust said: “Our thoughts are with the mother and her family at this extremely difficult time.

“A joint investigation is under way with the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust and it will be inappropriate to comment further until this has been completed.

We will continue to meet with the family and provide any support they require.” ‘Lots of reviews, but no improvement’ THE Welsh health minister has also called for a comprehensive review into the ambulance service after a row over its budget.

But the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Kirsty Williams, said Lesley Griffiths was hiding behind another review – the ninth in six years, she said.

Lesley Griffiths said the review would look at the relationships with Wales’ health boards, the service’s performance, targets and whether the current arrangements could be changed.

But Ms Williams said: “Over the last decade, we’ve seen countless reviews into the ambulance service and the Labour government still can’t guarantee that an ambulance will get to you within eight minutes 65 per cent of the time.”

Reports said that a 2012/13 budget for the service had not been agreed until November 2, despite a deadline in the summer.