More than 4,000 Moray mums had to give birth somewhere else since the downgrading of consultant-led maternity services at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin.
New figures reveal around three quarters of Moray babies were born in Aberdeen or Inverness since 2018.
A total of 5,570 babies were born to families in the area between the year of the downgrade and November 28 this year.
However, only 1,063 of them took place at Dr Gray’s Hospital in that time, with 4,214 Moray babies born in Aberdeen and 138 in Inverness.
A further 155 babies were born outside of these three locations.
The figures, obtained by the Scottish Conservatives, also reveal more than 550 Moray mums have had to have a blue light ambulance transfer to give birth.
The P&J previously documented examples of ambulances having to stop on the way between Aberdeen and Elgin while women give birth at the roadside.
‘Eye-opening’ figures
Highlands and Islands Tory MSP Douglas Ross said the “eye-opening” figures show why consultant-led services must return to Dr Gray’s as a matter of urgency.
His wife Krystle was taken by ambulance on the 65-mile trip from Elgin to Aberdeen to give birth to the couple’s youngest son James in 2021, after his heart rate started to dip.
The consultant-led unit at Dr Gray’s was downgraded in 2018 due to a lack of staff at the hospital with the staffing model proving unsustainable.
This means only the most straightforward births can take place in Elgin.
Last year we revealed how NHS Grampian is using recruitment options it has never explored before to fill critical positions to restore maternity services at Dr Gray’s.
Mr Ross said: “I know from my own experience that mums due to give birth should not be travelling along dangerous roads such as the A96. They should be giving birth in their local hospital in Moray.
“Frankly it is shocking and shameful that over 4,000 Moray mums have not been able to do so since the so-called temporary downgrade was put in place in 2018.”
The health board’s agreed timetable with the Scottish Government is for a sustainable consultant-led unit to return to the Elgin hospital in 2026.
On Monday, NHS Grampian confirmed a consultant anaesthetist has joined the maternity team at Dr Gray’s for part of his working week.
It is the latest in a series of new appointments to get the full maternity service back up and running in Elgin.
Jane Gill, programme director with the North of Scotland Maternity Collaborative, said: “We are committed to providing the most advanced and comprehensive maternity care Moray has ever seen.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said more than £6 million has been committed to enhance maternity services in the north of Scotland – including the return of consultant-led maternity care at Dr Gray’s.
He added: “NHS Grampian is making positive progress with an extensive recruitment plan attracting new doctors and other specialist maternity staff.
“This has meant enhanced obstetric services have started with complex antenatal care, day assessment and triage now available at the hospital.
“Elective caesarean sections will soon be offered, with full consultant-led maternity services due to commence at Dr Gray’s in 2026.”
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