Health chiefs in the Highlands yesterday voted as one to downgrade maternity services Caithness – despite a desperate plea from locals to keep consultant services in the Far North.
NHS Highland board members yesterday agreed to convert maternity services at Caithness General Hospital to a community midwife unit (CMU).
The decision came after a review of neonatal services following the “potentially avoidable” death of a newborn baby in September 2015.
At the moment, the unit is led by consultant obstetricians – but there are no facilities for specialist neonatal paediatric support or adult intensive care.
Mothers thought to be at risk of birthing complications will be taken more than 100 miles to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
Five newborn babies have died at Caithness General since 2010.
A delegation of objectors from campaign group the Caithness Health Action Team (Chat) made the trek to the Inverness board meeting in an effort to sway the decision.
Spokeswoman Kirsteen Campbell, a Wick mother-of-two, spelt out the community’s concerns but the board unanimously agreed the change. She was “gutted” by the verdict.
“This is a worry,” she said. “I can’t help but wonder: why did it come to five deaths before something was done?
“I do fear something is going to happen, with a mum in labour coming down the A9. It’s a long road, not a good road, it’s often closed. We’re as isolated as an island.”
Board chairman David Alston confessed that a “wrong decision” was made on the same issue 11 years ago, when he and colleagues defied the advice of clinicians.
Speaking later, he said: “I’m pleased to have the opportunity to put it right and create, for the future, a safe service.”
Campaigners said their fight would continue, beginning with a letter to Scottish Health Secretary Shona Robison.
Chat chairman and Caithness councillor Bill Fernie said: “If the service is unsafe, it has been unsafe for 11 years.”
He accused the board of “preaching” to communities rather than consulting.
Highland medical director Rod Harvey said he was “absolutely convinced” the revamp was the safest option.
“Last time we made a leap in the dark because we were aiming to put in a service that was not replicated elsewhere,” he said.