Yousaf: Consultant-led maternity service for Moray hospital is ‘ultimate target’

Consultant-led maternity services returning to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Moray “very firmly remains the destination” for its future, the Health Secretary has said.

Humza Yousaf issued an update on the future of maternity services in the Elgin hospital on Tuesday, following the presentation of a draft joint plan in July.

Dr Gray’s Hospital switched to a midwife-led service in 2018, resulting in women in need of more complex care having to go to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary or Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

The Government confirmed in March that it was committed to returning the hospital to a consultant-led model after a review laid out six possible options.

A community maternity model linked mainly to Raigmore will be put in place in the meantime.

Professor Linda de Caestecker was previously appointed to lead the external oversight process.

Mr Yousaf announced on Tuesday that Prof De Caestecker has since “identified further clinical support and expertise to work with her” to provide independent external assurance on the progress.

He said: “The team working with Linda includes representatives from relevant specialities such as paediatrics, anaesthetics, obstetrics and midwifery.

“This external panel will be a sounding board and a critical friend to both NHS Grampian and NHS Highland.

“And crucially, they will provide assurance and reassurance to the community and to me here in Government.”

Mr Yousaf said the model four (community) plan “is an important step in the journey towards model six (consultant-led)”, but said he is “very clear that further work is required” before giving approval to move forward with them.

This includes challenges around recruitment and the development of “safe pathways of care”.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross voiced his disappointment with the statement, telling the chamber that “I can’t, on behalf of Moray mums and families, thank him for that statement, because I share their anger, disappointment and frustration that we are no further forward”.

“We are no further forward to restoring consultant-led maternity services at Dr Gray’s than we were over four years ago from when we were told to put up with a temporary downgrade for just a year.

“In his previous statement to this chamber, in December last year, the Health Secretary claimed he understood the urgency and the importance of the issue.

“But that statement he just read out doesn’t understand the importance of this issue, because we are still in a situation where there is nothing of comfort for Moray mums and Moray families in that statement.”

He went on: “Quite frankly, model four is a red herring and I’m pleading with the Health Secretary to listen to local representatives, to listen to Keep Mum and other campaigners, and scrap model four and move directly to model six.”