Caithness maternity campaigners accuse SNP of watering down review

Caithness maternity campaigners are accusing the Scottish Government of pulling back from a commitment made in the Scottish Parliament to commission an independent review of maternity services in Caithness.

At a vote at Holyrood on 5 November, then welcomed as an important victory for mums to be in Caithness, the Scottish Government backed a Scottish Liberal Democrat amendment which specifically called for an “independent review of maternity services in Caithness”.

However, emerging details have now given rise to serious concerns about the Scottish Government’s intent to live up to that commitment.

In a letter to local Liberal Democrat David Green on November 26, NHS Highland’s Chief Executive Fiona Davies explains there will be a Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, instead chaired by an SNP Government Minister.

The NHS Highland boss said: “The taskforce will review rural service provision, and that will include maternity services in Caithness and Stranraer.” For campaigners, this falls far short of what the Scottish Parliament voted for.

Longtime maternity services campaigner and Far North MP, Jamie Stone, has penned a letter alongside the Chair of Caithness Health Action Team, Cllr Ron Gunn, and David Green to raise concerns with the Health Secretary and asked for a clear timetable.

They are calling for:

• A published schedule on key milestones for the review.
• An exact date for delivery of the final report and next steps.
• Regular progress throughout the review.

The campaigners also expect the review of maternity services in Caithness to be fully independent, including a chairperson outside of NHS Highland’s leadership team and beyond the Scottish Government’s oversight.

Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP Jamie Stone said:

“An independent review should represent a crucial opportunity to rebuild trust and deliver fair, accessible maternity services for Caithness. We need a process that is transparent, efficient and shaped by the voices of local people.

“That is why we have explicitly asked for assurance that the review will be led by an independent chair entirely separate from NHS Highland and the Scottish Government, with full autonomy over its scope and findings.

“My hope is that this review brings real change and is not just a shallow attempt from the SNP to virtue signal ahead of the Scottish election next year.”

Councillor Ron Gunn, Chair of Caithness Health Action Team, said:

“We really thought we were getting somewhere when the Scottish Parliament voted for an independent review of maternity services in Caithness. It now appears it won’t be independent but part of a Maternity & Neonatal Taskforce review, chaired by Scottish Minister Ms Minto.

“This is yet another slap in the face for the Caithness mums and families who, for years, have supported our campaign for an independent review. We, perhaps naively, thought they had listened. It would seem the Scottish Government has changed their minds, although we have to wonder if they ever actually intended to set up a truly independent review.

“I think we know what they have to fear from a truly independent review but the people of the North deserve honesty and transparency.”

David Green, Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, added:

“For the women who have bravely spoken up about their experiences of travelling to Inverness to give birth, the SNP’s backtracking will be a real blow. Their human rights matter.

“Let’s be clear; this is a question of respecting the will of Parliament and keeping your promises. Holyrood has voted for an independent review of maternity services in Caithness, that is what we should now expect. No ifs, no buts.

“Mums-to-be, campaigners, and the community as a whole deserves better than this. To have any chance of rebuilding trust, the review must be genuinely independent and must meaningfully engage the community."