Concerns have been raised ‘for years’, says maternity trade union

Concerns found in recent maternity health inspections have been raised with the Scottish Government “for years”, a maternity trade union has said.

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has warned against further delay in addressing the challenges faced by maternity services in Scotland.

The comments come as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Neil Gray announced on Wednesday the establishment of a new Scottish Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce.

His announcement followed a critical report into maternity services from Health Improvement Scotland (HIS) after an inspection at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

The HIS report raised “serious concerns” about the care provided to pregnant women at the hospital.

Jaki Lambert, the RCM’s director for Scotland, said: “When Health Improvement Scotland (HIS) announced its new inspection regime last year, the RCM welcomed it as an opportunity for change for maternity services in Scotland.

“We knew that these inspections would throw a spotlight on the systemic issues in maternity services, as well as highlighting the incredible care that our members provide often in spite of the challenges they face.”

The HIS report detailed that Edinburgh Royal Infirmary maternity staff “expressed feeling frustrated at staffing levels” and that “staff told us this presented a safety risk for women, babies and families within their care which they raised on multiple occasions with managers”,

Overall, HIS found 26 areas where it said the required standards had not been met.

The RCM said it has been raising concerns that were found in the inspections with the Scottish Government “for years”.

Ms Lambert said: “The RCM has been raising the exact same concerns that the inspections have found with the Scottish Government, and with individual health boards, for years.

“We have urged this Cabinet Secretary and his predecessors to get ahead of the curve and implement the changes we know – that midwives and maternity care assistants and maternity support workers all know – need to happen.

“We note Mr Gray’s commitment today, and we will hold him to it. Because the women and families of Scotland – and the midwifery community that supports them – deserve better.”

Speaking to the Scottish parliament on Wednesday, the Health Secretary said the Scottish Government is taking the issues raised “extremely seriously”.

Mr Gray said there was a need for “urgent improvements” and that is why the Government is stepping up the level of intervention in maternity services at NHS Lothian.

He said: “I expect to see evidence of improvement before the end of the year, particularly in relation to staff recruitment, training and development and handling of adverse events.”

He also promised the Scottish Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which will be chaired by women’s health minister Jenni Minto, will “provide strategic, national leadership”.

Mr Gray pledged: “I want the voices of women’s experiences of maternity services to be heard, as well as the voice of frontline midwives, and will make sure that they are part of the taskforce, and that we listen to them.

“Our commitment to continuous improvement across our NHS is vital. We must empower our services and our staff to make the necessary changes we need to ensure the safest and highest-quality maternity services in Scotland.”