Maternity model ‘is, quite frankly, cruel’: Caithness campaigners call for urgent review
Caithness “has been forgotten about” over maternity provision, according to local healthcare campaigners – and they have again argued that pregnant cows have more rights than mums-to-be from the far north.
Caithness Health Action Team (CHAT) is calling for an urgent review, while warning that birth experiences for local mothers “paint a distressing picture of poor outcomes, inequality and distress”.
CHAT representatives spoke out after comments made by Maree Todd, the SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, in a Holyrood Notebook article published in last week’s Caithness Courier.
Ms Todd had taken issue with Labour’s Rhoda Grant on the reasons for changes to maternity services in Caithness.
“Rhoda is fully aware that these changes were introduced by NHS Highland following preventable baby deaths in the county,” Ms Todd wrote.
Ms Todd insisted that “improving birth outcomes and supporting mothers and families is a clear priority for this SNP government” and spoke of its “commitment to giving every child the best possible start in life”.
The consultant-led maternity unit at Caithness General Hospital was downgraded in 2016 to a midwife-led facility and the vast majority of local women now give birth in Inverness.
CHAT chairman Ron Gunn said: “Following the downgrade in our maternity services in 2016, every year since then over 90 per cent of Caithness mums-to-be have had to travel to Inverness to give birth in all weather and road conditions.
“We have repeatedly asked health secretaries, government ministers and chief executives of NHS Highland to hold an independent review into the maternity situation in Caithness.
“A recent Freedom of Information request highlighted that no review of maternity services has been done since 2016. I’m afraid that, yet again, Caithness has been forgotten about when it comes to maternity and women’s health.”
CHAT secretary Maria Aitken said: “The centralisation of our maternity model in Caithness stands at a critical crossroads as it nears a decade of suffering, with the lives and wellbeing of mothers and newborns increasingly at risk.
“An urgent maternity review, funding and actions are now immediate requirements.
“Mothers’ birth experiences paint a distressing picture of poor outcomes, inequality and distress for our families, and highlight a profound need for change to ensure that every family receives a robust and safe maternity service within their own community, and with the much-needed support from their family, whenever possible.
“A maternity model which dictates that nearly every birth happens in Raigmore is not safe and is, quite frankly, cruel. Stories of mothers being induced and then the inductions being paused due to capacity issues in Raigmore and understaffing, and with many experiencing birth trauma and distress, along with very high incidences of emergency caesarean sections for Caithness mothers, are matters that must be investigated.
“Cattle are legally not allowed to be moved while heavily pregnant and newborn calves are not allowed to be transported. It is shocking that cattle and newborn calves have more rights than our Caithness mums and their babies.”
Vice-chairman Iain Gregory said: “The unacceptable situation with maternity services in Caithness has been highlighted over and over again, and we are well beyond the point where this is still open to debate.
“Following the recent publication of the Scottish Human Rights Commission report, and the subsequent findings of the UN Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Geneva, what we would expect now is an acknowledgement that the lack of local provision in Caithness requires to be addressed as a matter of extreme urgency, and rapid action must be taken to restore maternity facilities to Caithness General Hospital as an absolute priority.
“It is our position that women in Caithness are denied their basic human rights in relation to accessing fair, equitable and accessible healthcare, and therefore – by definition – their babies are similarly denied their equivalent rights.”
In 2024, 215 Caithness babies were born in Inverness and 15 at the community midwife-led unit in Wick.
The 2023 figures were 12 local women giving birth in Wick and 192 in Raigmore.
CHAT says that in 2015, prior to the downgrading of maternity services in Wick, 164 mothers were able to give birth locally.
In 2021, the group asserted that there were better safeguards for pregnant cows than for the far north’s expectant mothers.
Bill Fernie, the chairman CHAT at that time, said: “It is plainly ridiculous that cattle have better and tighter regulations regarding distance to travel when pregnant than women in the far north.”
Similar comments were made in 2017 after a local farmer’s wife drew the attention of CHAT to the laws on transporting heavily pregnant livestock or newborn calves.
NHS Highland urged anyone with concerns about their experiences at Raigmore to get in touch so these can be investigated and addressed.
A spokesperson for the health board said: “We understand the concerns raised by CHAT regarding maternity services for Caithness families. The wellbeing of mothers and babies is our absolute priority, and we take all feedback about birth experiences seriously.
“We appreciate the unique challenges that are faced by people in our remote, rural and island areas and the importance of providing clinically safe and effective services as close to home as possible.
“We provide as many maternity procedures as is safe to do so in Caithness General Hospital and hold regular consultant clinics in the locality. We have also successfully increased the midwifery team in Caithness and provide scans during pregnancy locally to reduce the requirement for mums-to-be having to travel.
“High-risk or complex cases, however, continue to come to Raigmore Hospital, which is the same for all our remote and rural areas in the Highland region. This ensures access to specialist care and facilities when needed.
“Regarding the specific concerns raised about experiences at Raigmore Hospital, we would encourage any families who have concerns about their care to contact us directly so we can investigate and address these appropriately.
“Patient safety and quality of care are paramount, and we continuously work to improve our services based on feedback and clinical evidence.
“We remain committed to working with local communities and representative groups to ensure our maternity services meet the needs of Highland families while maintaining the highest standards of clinical safety.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “NHS Highland moved to a midwife-led unit at Caithness General Hospital on patient safety grounds. Women can still give birth locally with midwife support, while those needing specialist care deliver at Raigmore.
“We provide women with information to make informed decisions about where to give birth. Weekly obstetric clinics and scans continue in Caithness, with travel support available.
“NHS boards are responsible for delivering services that best meet local needs. NHS Highland continually reviews services to ensure they’re safe, effective and sustainable.
“Public health minister Jenni Minto visited the unit this summer, where she met staff and local campaigners and heard about NHS Highland’s commitment to working with communities to provide safe, sustainable maternity care.”