'I wouldn't want my wife making that journey in labour' – Humza Yousaf says Highland maternity situation is 'not ideal'
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Health secretary Humza Yousaf admitted he wouldn't want his wife to have to travel the two hour-plus journey the vast majority of Caithness mums-to-be have to endure when they are in labour.
Only eight babies were born at the community midwifery unit at Caithness General Hospital during last year, compared to 202 Caithness mums who gave birth at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
The journey between the two hospitals is 104 miles on a road that is often affected by bad weather or accidents, with long detours if the road is closed.
Speaking at the Inverness Courier Leadership Debate, Mr Yousaf said: "I know the statistics, and that’s why we’ve got a review of Caithness services. It’s not ideal – I would not want my wife to have to travel hours and hours when she was in labour, but this goes to my point. Remember this decision was taken because of a real tragedy."
He told the audience of around 200 people in Inverness that he had been to Caithness within the last few months to speak to some of the mothers.
"My promise and commitment to them is that first and foremost they and their families’ safety and the safety of their unborn child is paramount.
"The issue in Caithness happened because of the tragedy of a mother in Caithness losing her child, and therefore if we were to allow births to take place in Caithness we would be putting people at risk because we don’t have the workforce there."
He said there were issues around housing and education that needed addressing to help with recruitment of consultants and other professionals before the Caithness maternity unit could be upgraded.
"We are doing the review of Caithness the same as we have with Dr Gray’s in order to get an appropriate maternity service," he said. "But to suggest we can open it tomorrow with a consultant, I’m afraid that’s not possible. We have to make sure the safety of mothers and their unborn children is at the forefront of these decisions."
Kate Forbes, who became a mother for the first time in August, said her journey to hospital in labour was 15 minutes and that "felt too far".
She said the situation facing mothers in Caithness was unacceptable and that a solution needed to be found.
"I can’t think of another colleague who can match Humza in terms of his compassion and his desire to solve problems but I think when it comes to this particular issue, I think it requires us to fundamentally rethink how the NHS operates," she told the crowd.
"It fundamentally requires us to ensure that we empower our front line because they are ultimately the people who are going to enable those women not to have to travel."
She also wanted to see more people from rural areas educated as part of a long-term plan to bring more healthcare workers to north communities.
Ash Regan committed to looking into the problem and added: "The situation is not good if you’re having to travel 110 miles in labour and I can imagine the stress on the mother and the father as well, wondering what might happen on the way. So hearing Humza saying there’s a review under way, I think we need to expedite that if we can to see what more can be done."
