Return of full maternity services in Moray delayed to next year

The restoration of full maternity services at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin has been delayed until next year.

Maternity services at Dr Gray's were downgraded in 2018 due to staff shortages, meaning most expectant mothers in the area had to travel to Aberdeen or Inverness for births.

The aim had been to have a full consultant-led maternity service by the end of this year.

NHS Grampian has now said it will instead be done "as soon as is safely possible" next year.

Moray MSP Laura Mitchell said the local community would be "deeply disappointed", and called for NHS Grampian to "bust a gut to get this over the line as soon as possible".

It comes as a nationwide review of Scotland's maternity services gets under way.

Chaired by maternal and child health expert Prof Christine McCourt, it will pay particular attention to how care is provided in rural and island communities - with specific focus on services in Elgin, as well as Caithness and Wigtownshire.

The review will run for nine months and will also take account of the unannounced inspections of all 18 of Scotland's acute maternity units currently being carried out by Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

Prof McCourt is due to submit her findings and recommendations in July next year.

Last year, planned Caesarean sections took place for the first time in almost seven years at Dr Gray's, the largest hospital in Moray.

A Caesarean section, or C-section, is a surgical operation to deliver a baby through a cut made in the mother's stomach and womb.

It was seen as a big step towards restoring a complete service for pregnant women.

NHS Grampian says it is also opening a special care unit for neonatal babies, but other services will be delayed to next year.

Currently low-risk pregnancies are being accepted at Dr Gray's, but campaigners continue to call for the full return of consultant-led maternity services.

NHS Grampian says it hopes to move to a phased approach to deliver the remaining services.

The health board also said it was on track to deliver 200 babies at Dr Gray's this year - double the figure recorded three years ago.

NHS Grampian chief executive Laura Skaife-Knight said: "Our end destination is clear, and the full service is now firmly within reach.

"We just need a little more time, but we are determined to continue the work we have started by delivering the full consultant-led maternity service that Moray has been promised.

"My assurance to families is simple: we will do it well and we will do it as soon as is safely possible next year."

She added: "I know some people in Moray will remain sceptical, and I understand why.

"They have waited a long time for this, and I want them to know that I take personal responsibility for making sure we do everything possible to finish the job."

NHS Grampian's Board will be asked to endorse the new approach at its meeting on Thursday.

Jane Gill, the programme director for the Moray Maternity Programme, said: "As everyone knows, having the full expanded service in place by the end of this year was always an ambitious target.

"We will have a large part of the service in place by the end of the year, but some elements will need more time."

She added: "We owe it to women and families to be completely open about that and clear about what is available now, what comes next and when, so they have the information they need to make choices and plan.

"Rather than waiting for one date when everything switches on at once, the proposal being put to the Board this week would allow us to bring services in as soon as they are safe and ready, giving women and families access to more care closer to home at the earliest opportunity."