More than 3,000 complaints about maternity care since 2020

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has called for ministers to urgently set out when they will conduct a national investigation into maternity services in Scotland, as he revealed there have been more than 3,000 complaints about maternity care since 2020.

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request to every Scottish health board asked for the number of complaints made about maternity care since 2020.

The request found that:

• Since 2020/21, at least 3,487 complaints have been made about maternity care.
• Most of these complaints were made by patients.
• Between 2020 and 2025, complaints about maternity care have increased by around a quarter, with the highest number of complaints recorded last year, in 2024/25.
• Between April and November 2025 alone, 373 complaints were made about maternity care.
• Since 2020, NHS Glasgow has recorded the highest number of complaints (745, all made by patients), while NHS Lothian has recorded the second highest (582, all made by patients).
• In the same period, NHS Highland recorded 414 complaints from patients about maternity care.

In November last year, the Scottish Government indicated it would launch a national investigation into maternity services. It is unclear, however, when this will take place.

There are also region-specific problems with maternity services in different parts of Scotland.

Following the downgrading of the consultant-led maternity unit at Caithness General Hospital in 2016, women in the Far North face a 100-mile trip down the A9 to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness to give birth.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have repeatedly called for an independent review of maternity services in Caithness. The Scottish Government have watered down a previous commitment to do this.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“Across Scotland, experiences of maternity care are deteriorating, and in the very worst cases, that decline is resulting in tragedy.

“Staff are telling us that wards are dangerously overstretched; they have spoken out about a toxic culture that’s bringing mothers and babies to harm.

“Wherever people are being treated in our NHS, they deserve to be safe and looked after, but that should be particularly true for our maternity wards.

“The Scottish Government must urgently set out when they will launch a national investigation into maternity services, which they have recently cast doubt on.

“My party will also continue to hold ministers’ feet to the fire on their failure to conduct an independent review of maternity services specifically in Caithness.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats have got a realistic plan to ensure every shift is safely staffed, including through a workforce plan that answers the needs of every maternity ward in the country.”