Four years until consultant-led births at Dr Gray's
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AN "ambitious" NHS Grampian plan says bringing back consultant-led maternity services at Dr Gray's could take four years.
NHS Grampian released a draft plan for Moray maternity services ahead of tomorrow's (December 15) board meeting, where it is expected to be approved.
The return of consultant support for Moray mums giving birth at Dr Gray's is expected, under the new plans, between July and December 2026.
Bringing back the service, named Model 6 in official documents, will require new midwives, obstetric consultants and anaesthetists to be recruited.
The paper also sets out accommodation and equipment requirements, including a dedicated 24-hour theatre for emergency obstetric use.
Simon Bokor-Ingram, chief officer for the Moray Health and Social Care Partnership said: "NHS Grampian is committed to the delivery of a consultant-led obstetric service delivered at Dr Gray’s Hospital and we understand the need to deliver these services as soon as practical.
"This week our Grampian NHS Board will consider a draft plan, which will deliver at pace our proposals for the delivery of a contemporary, sustainable obstetric service within the next few years, to operate alongside the existing excellent midwife-led service, bringing significant benefits to Moray mums and their families."
The date for a return of elective C-sections at Dr Gray's, which were recommended to be restored immediately earlier this year, have also been pushed back to 2025.
In the mean time, plans for more Moray mums to deliver at Raigmore in Inverness are expected to kick in by early 2025, named Model 4.
Emergency "time critical" Moray births, however, are to start being transferred to Raigmore early next year.
Moray MP Douglas Ross has shared his anger over the "hugely disappointing" draft plan, which he says do not go far enough.
MSP Richard Lochhead, however, said the proposals were a "vast improvement" on previous suggestions that the return of services could take a decade, but said NHS Grampian needed to show "real grit and determination" going forward.
Mr Ross said: “These proposals from NHS Grampian simply do not alleviate my significant fears over the future of maternity services at Dr Gray’s.
"It is hugely disappointing that consultant-led services will not return for Moray mums until the end of 2026 or even early 2027.
“The reality is that despite the health board’s best efforts to talk up these 'ambitious’ plans, that the so-called ‘temporary’ one-year downgrade of maternity services will have lasted over eight years if these timescales are met which is absolutely outrageous.
“More and more expectant mothers in Moray in the coming years will have to travel to Raigmore or Aberdeen at all times of the year, rather than having the option of giving birth in their own local hospital.
“Having experienced this terrifying journey last year myself, I cannot believe that these sorts of timescales can be deemed acceptable by health board officials."
“In my view the plans don’t meet the aspirations of Keep MUM and Maternity Voices Partnership and other campaigners across Moray."
Mr Lochhead said: “The community has been eager to see NHS Grampian publish its plan to restore a consultant-led maternity service in Moray and we finally have clarity from the health board as to what is required to get us there.
“NHS Grampian’s plan is for consultant-led services to be restored by the end of 2026, which is vast improvement on the decade of work they initially said would be needed.
"Between now and then I would hope to see services stepped up as and when the necessary staffing and resources become available.
“I’ll be taking time to engage with the local community and Keep MUM to hear their views on the draft plan in the coming days and weeks.
"But what I am very clear about, is we need NHS Grampian to show real grit and determination to deliver for women and families in Moray.
"We need the board to show us it is committed to seeing this through and getting us back to a place where the majority of local women can once again deliver their babies in Elgin.”
The conclusion of the draft plan reads: "We are pleased to be able to submit this plan as an indication of milestones and timescales for delivering Model 6; consultant-led obstetric services in Dr Gray’s Hospital as part of a networked model.
"We do not underestimate the challenges ahead, nor the ambition of meeting the timescales set out in this plan.
"We look forward also to hearing feedback on this Joint Model 6 Plan."
