A veteran healthcare campaigner says the lack of local maternity cover in Moray could end in “tragedy”, decades after her own difficult experience giving birth.
Marj Adams has been calling for better services in the region since the 1980s and never imagined she would be fighting still as a grandmother.
Speaking to the The Stooshie – the DC Thomson politics podcast – she revealed her own distressing experience and shared her fears the current situation could lead to the “death of a mother or a baby – or both”.
It comes after two Moray women were forced to give birth near the A96 in the last six months while on their way to Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, 65 miles from Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin.
Almost three quarters of births have been referred to Aberdeen or Inverness since the maternity unit was “temporarily” downgraded in 2018, following a staffing crisis.
‘It’s a tragedy waiting to happen’
Ms Adams, who now campaigns with the Keep Mum group, says they hear from some women who have “put off having a family” because of their concerns over care.
She said the problem would have been “fixed long ago” if it affected men directly.
The grandmother-of-five said: “We really fear there could be a tragedy, there could be a death of a mother or a baby – or both.
“Really we are on the cliff-edge. It’s a tragedy waiting to happen.”
Ms Adams revealed how she narrowly avoided tragedy herself while giving birth to her second daughter, Amy, in 1985.
Back then there was no obstetrics unit at Dr Gray’s and she was referred to Aberdeen after suffering complications with the birth of her eldest daughter, Kirsty.
On a “night of snow and ice”, Ms Adams was to be taken by ambulance to Aberdeen.
But the labour was moving fast and so the ambulance had to turn back at Huntly, where she was taken to a “tiny cottage hospital” where a local GP delivered Amy.
Umbilical cord round her neck
Recalling the day, the Keep Mum campaigner, said: “She had the umbilical cord twice around her neck and basically he said, ‘this was potentially a tragedy. Who sent you from Elgin tonight’?
“Luckily Amy and I were both fine. That got me involved in thinking this is ridiculous this situation.
“I was part of the original campaign which won the battle and we got the obstetric unit which was opened in the early nineties and was open until it was closed in 2018.”
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has vowed to deliver a deliver a timetable in the summer for moving towards expanding Raigmore maternity unit in Inverness.
The SNP minister is also due to publish plans by the end of the year for reinstating a full consultant-led unit at Dr Gray’s.
This would allow the majority of pregnant women in Moray to give birth in Elgin, but could take up to 10 years.
‘Significant investment’ needed
The health secretary has committed to keep parliament updated on progress but has so far ruled out giving an update next week before a two-month summer recess.
Mr Yousaf said: “The return to a consultant-led service at Dr Gray’s will require significant investment in the infrastructure and workforce, and solving complex systemic problems, such as recruitment and retention.
“We need to allow NHS Grampian time to do this as well as the work they, and NHS Highland, are doing to deliver short term improvements in maternity care and the planning for the long term ambition for consultant-led services.”
Campaigners say no one has been able to explain to them why the timescales are so long and have called for those involved to “go back to the drawing board” to find a solution.
On the 10-year timescale, Ms Adams said the group would find this “extremely difficult to accept” and they doubt NHS Grampian is serious about reinstating the service.
I never thought I would be back to campaigning as a grandmother, I really didn’t.
– Marj Adams.
She claimed the health board, who met with the campaign group on June 20, has “a public narrative and a private narrative”.
The campaigner added: “The public narrative is ‘yes, we’ll do it’ and I’m sure they tell the health secretary that but we fear that the private narrative is ‘this is impossible, we’re going through the motions but we won’t achieve it’.”
‘It wasn’t safe’
Asked if she ever thought she would still be campaigning on this issue after three decades of speaking up, the grandmother said: “No. I didn’t. I have three grandsons born in the specialist unit and one granddaughter born in the downgraded unit and I never thought I would be back to campaigning as a grandmother, I really didn’t.
“I thought we have the unit and it’s safe forever if you like. Once I realised NHS Grampian were trying to downgrade it over the years…we should have realised that it wasn’t safe.”
An NHS Grampian spokeswoman said: “We are committed to the delivery of an obstetric-led service in Elgin.
“We are finalising plans for the interim networked model due in the summer, and plans for the consultant-led unit are due by the end of this year.
“We accept communication in the past was not what it should have been, and we are working very hard to improve that.
“All stakeholders are invited to be part of our communication & engagement group.”