Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin is to get a £5million investment in order to restore consultant-led maternity services, with facilities at Raigmore in Inverness to also get a £5million upgrade
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Maternity services in Moray and Inverness are to get a £10million investment from the Scottish Government to address a long running crisis.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has today (March 30) confirmed that Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin will return to a full consultant-led maternity service.
However no time-scale was given for the plan, with an interim system known as model four outlined as a stepping stone to the final goal.
This will see expectant mothers given the choice to give birth at Raigmore, where facilities will be upgraded.
Maternity services were downgraded at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin in 2018 due to staff shortages.
Since then more than 80 per cent of Moray mums have faced the long and potentially dangerous trip to Aberdeen to give birth.
Mr Yousaf was responding to an Independent Review into Dr Gray's hospital, which was commissioned last year with the goal of expanding the care provided locally and reducing travel times for expectant parents.
He confirmed a move to a full consultant-led maternity unit at Dr Gray’s, which aims to see 80 to 90 per cent of Moray births taking place at the hospital over a period of time on a phased basis, with delivery of as much antenatal and postnatal care as possible in Dr Gray’s in the short term, reducing the need to travel for appointments.
The cabinet secretary said as services are expanded towards a consultant-led service at Dr Grays, in the interim Raigmore maternity unit will be expanded to allow Moray women to choose to access care in labour and birth there, in addition to Aberdeen Maternity Unit.
The Health Secretary also confirmed £10 million of investment to deliver this, which includes £5million to start the development of services at Dr Gray’s and a further £5million to improve facilities at Raigmore Hospital.
Speaking in Parliament, Mr Yousaf said: “Safe maternity care as close to home as practicable is vital and I’ve heard directly from those most affected, namely local people and the clinicians working in both Dr Gray’s and Raigmore hospitals before making this decision.
“This new £10 million of investment in maternity services I’ve set out today will help create a consultant-led Maternity Unit at Dr Gray’s, with a Community Maternity Unit, supported by consultant-led care from Raigmore in the interim.
"I hope this will see 80 to 90 per cent of Moray births taking place at Dr Gray's when arrangements are completed.
“I am in no doubt about the scale of the challenges in delivering this, but I know we can deliver these changes over time and bring much needed stability to health services across the north east of Scotland.”
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