Scotland’s maternity review must lead to action, not another report

Not only do the mothers have to brave ice, snow and traffic jams, but once they reach Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, they are often forced to wait hours or even days for labour to be induced. Some even give birth before reaching their destination.

In Stranraer, mothers have seen the erosion of local services, to the point that a mother with extreme morning sickness was forced to make 70-mile journeys to Dumfries for every single appointment.

The experience of women in rural Scotland is unacceptable, but the recent series of maternity inspections show that even in Scotland’s biggest cities, the standard of care is below par.

The recent inspection into Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s maternity services found delays of almost eight days to induce labour, staff in tears and describing the working conditions as “dangerous”. Meanwhile, NHS Lothian struggled with a shortage of midwives and the opening of the new Baird Family Hospital in Aberdeen is seven years late.

After Scottish Labour forced a debate on Scotland’s maternity services last autumn, the then-Health Secretary Neil Gray pledged a national investigation into maternity and neonatal services.

Now, after more than six months of silence, his successor, Angela Constance, has confirmed the review will start in the autumn and be chaired by the Professor of Maternal and Child Health at City St George’s, Christine McCourt. The update is welcome, but for the review to be effective, it must be meaningful.

First, it must involve affected families. Gray promised to listen to campaigners Julie Keegan, who lost her son Mason, and Lori Quate, who lost his wife and unborn child, yet they have heard nothing prior to this ministerial statement.

Second, it must acknowledge the true impact of centralising services on women in rural and urban areas. The former Scottish Labour MSP Rhoda Grant continually called for risk assessments for pregnant women to include the journey I described at the start.

Third, It must also look at neonatal services. Parents are the best advocates for their babies, yet centralising neonatal units to just three across Scotland may make it less safe as women and the sickest babies are transported hundreds of miles away from home.

Fourth, it needs to address understaffing. In inspection after inspection, midwives appear burnt out and unable to give mothers the attention they need. This is not surprising when in the past decade, the midwifery workforce in Scotland has increased by just 7.9 percent.

To put that into perspective, that’s nearly half the rate of nursing and less than a quarter the rate of doctors (28.4%), none of whom are in abundance either.

Finally, and most importantly, the new Health Secretary must ensure that the review doesn’t join other reports gathering dust in St Andrew’s House.

Women preparing to give birth need to know they are in the safest possible hands, and it’s in all of our interests to make sure their babies have the best start in life.

An investment in maternity care is an investment in Scotland’s future.