Maternity and childcare ‘is a priority’ for Scottish Government
Holyrood Notebook by Maree Todd
I was taken aback by Rhoda Grant MSP’s claims that changes to maternity services in Caithness were the result of Scottish Government cuts.
Rhoda is fully aware that these changes were introduced by NHS Highland following preventable baby deaths in the county. To suggest otherwise is misleading and does nothing but undermine discussions about how best to deliver safe, sustainable maternity care in the far north.
What makes her comments even more troubling is that they appear in the same column where she raises concerns about infant mortality rates in Scotland. Of course, these figures are deeply concerning and demand attention. But to cite them while wilfully ignoring the real reason for the changes to services in Caithness is quite astonishing.
Improving birth outcomes and supporting mothers and families is a clear priority for this SNP government. The Baby Box, with over 17,000 delivered across the NHS Highland area since its introduction, is just one example of this government commitment to giving every child the best possible start in life.
Providing essential items for the first six months of a child’s life is particularly vital at a time when household budgets are under pressure due to rising bills and social security cuts under the UK Labour government.
Cuts to social security and austerity measures carry real, measurable consequences – even impacting birth outcomes. A landmark University of Glasgow study of 2.3 million Scottish birth records between 1981 and 2019 found that the Tory-LibDem coalition’s austerity policies coincided with a sharp rise in premature and low-birthweight babies, hitting Scotland’s poorest communities the hardest.
The conclusion was stark – cuts to social security and essential services piled stress onto pregnant women, directly harming birth outcomes.
Yet despite the evidence, Labour is heading down the same road. Just last week, the Trussell Trust reported a sharp rise in severe hardship among families with three or more children. The root cause? The two-child cap – a cruel policy driving child poverty, which Labour has so far failed to scrap.
Contrast that with the SNP Scottish Government, which has committed to introducing the two child limit payment from March. This measure will benefit the families of 43,000 children next year, directly mitigating the impact of one of Westminster’s most punishing policies.
In Scotland, our social security system is making a meaningful difference. A recent survey found that recipients of one or more of the Five Family Payments, including the Scottish Child Payment, are experiencing reduced financial strain, less material deprivation, and lower levels of food insecurity. For many families, these payments have even removed the need to rely on food banks altogether.
While Labour doubles down on cruel social security choices, the SNP government is delivering real action to lift families out of poverty.
And after a very challenging period, new figures show that NHS Scotland has delivered more operations than at any time in the past five years – a significant milestone. This shows that recovery from years of austerity, Brexit and Covid is gathering real momentum. Thanks to record investment, more appointments are being offered, and more patients are receiving the treatment they need.
At the heart of this progress is the National Treatment Centres Programme – the largest expansion of planned care capacity our NHS has ever seen. In Highland, that impact is already being felt, with the NTC in Inverness cutting waiting times and exceeding Scottish Government targets.
• Maree Todd is the SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross.