North MSP Rhoda Grant urges Humza Yousaf to come north for talks on Moray maternity service
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A NORTH politician is pressing for Scottish Government health secretary Humza Yousaf to come up to meet clinicians involved in all aspects of the Moray maternity services row.
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant is eager to see the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care visit both Dr Grays Hospital, Elgin and Raigmore Hospital, Inverness.
The MSP wrote to Mr Yousaf asking when he will deliver on his promise to come to Moray and Highland after 18 senior clinicians from Raigmore Hospital released an open letter criticising the Moray maternity services review.
The Raigmore clinicians said that they were never consulted on whether their hospital could deal with extra births from Moray.
Replying to Mrs Grant the cabinet secretary said: “I intend to travel to Moray to meet with NHS Grampian and NHS Highland as well as local clinical teams from Dr Grays and Raigmore and local people as soon as is practicably possible” and that “his office are currently identifying a date as a matter of priority.”
Mr Yousaf was supposed to travel to Dr Grays before Christmas to meet with stakeholders however, this was changed to a virtual meeting as Covid restrictions were tightened because of the Omicron variant.
Mrs Grant said: “I think it is imperative that the cabinet secretary delivers on his promise to come to Moray and Highland to meet with clinicians and locals because right now there is little local trust in this review, as shown by the clinicians concerns.
“I think everyone who lives locally understands the fear and concern caused to pregnant woman on having to travel these great distances to give birth and also the pressures on Raigmore Hospital should this go ahead. I hope the cabinet secretary will visit sooner rather than later to hear to those concerns.”
The Moray review sided with mothers there being taken to Inverness rather than Aberdeen to have their babies. Moray women would prefer to see a consultant led service in Elgin.
