Maree Todd has 'full sympathy' with Caithness maternity concerns
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Maree Todd has backed those in the far north who are calling for "high-quality healthcare as close to home as possible".
The SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross says she has full sympathy with the concerns of mums-to-be and their families over the journeys they are expected to make to Raigmore Hospital.
She gave an assurance that she is continuing to "engage closely" with NHS Highland and the Scottish Government on improvements to maternity care in Caithness.
Ms Todd was responding to an email from Councillor Matthew Reiss. He and two other Highland councillors for Thurso and Northwest Caithness had been asked by Thurso Community Council if they were aware of contingency plans for emergency cases should patients, including mothers and babies, have to be transferred to Raigmore or further afield during adverse weather.
Councillor Reiss contacted Ms Todd on Wednesday and the MSP replied the following day.
She told him: "I fully sympathise with the concerns of expectant mothers and their families, especially during the winter months, in making the journey to Inverness."
Ms Todd explained that she had written to NHS Highland previously on the issue, and she copied a recent response from chief executive Pam Dudek.
Ms Dudek had stated: “We are very aware of the weather conditions in Scotland, and how those can affect our transport links, especially in the far north. We do receive Met Office alerts and implement contingency plans as necessary. These include our service partners in SAS [the Scottish Ambulance Service] and, in extremis, armed forces and coastguard.”
Ms Todd added: "I continue to engage closely with NHS Highland and the Scottish Government on improvements to maternity care in Caithness.
"We know that people want high-quality healthcare as close to home as possible and I want to see that too. Going forward we need to look at how we can deliver this safely and sustainably."
Councillor Reiss was unimpressed with the response.
He had also listed a series of other concerns relating to the A9. He pointed to the "persistent failure" of some Traffic Scotland cameras, including those at Achavanich, as well as landslips at Scrabster and problems with overhanging trees in the Berriedale.
He told Ms Todd: "Yesterday [January 16] there was even a fallen tree over one of the snow gates at Berriedale, which is not reassuring. The local estate has recently helped out with some of these trees, I understand."
Councillor Reiss said: “I was pleased to get a very prompt response from the MSP's office. But her response hasn't even addressed the issues of maintenance of the A9, overhanging trees, landslides, etc. She simply hasn't commented on them at all.
“The fact that the cameras on the A9 at Achavanich are not working is highly concerning – particularly as Transport Scotland's advice to motorists is, amongst other things, to check traffic cameras before deciding whether to travel.
“It just really sums up the situation of poor maintenance.”
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Councillor Reiss is also concerned about a non-functioning pedestrian crossing on the A9, at the bottom of Castlegreen Road in Thurso, which is used by school pupils from the Scrabster area.
He said: "It just paints a picture, unfortunately, of poor maintenance and no sense of urgency.
"It's very shoddy and I just happen to feel that the MSP should be taking a close interest in these matters because it's the Scottish Government that pays for the trunk roads to be looked after and right now it seems to me we're getting a very poor service.
"So yes, it's a prompt response, but there is zero sense of actually doing anything."
