Moray MP Douglas Ross has called on new SNP NHS Recovery, health and social care secretary Michael Matheson to visit his constituency to urgently discuss the future of maternity services at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin.
Douglas has written to the new Cabinet Secretary following his appointment this week by new First Minister Humza Yousaf, who previously held the role.
Douglas says restoring full consultant-led maternity services at Dr Gray’s must be a top priority for Michael Matheson, who is the third SNP health secretary to hold the role since Jeane Freeman said a downgrade of services was only due to be temporary in 2018.
Under the current timescales outlined by Humza Yousaf, maternity services will not be fully restored until 2026, or even possibly early 2027, meaning expectant Moray mothers will still have to travel to Raigmore in Inverness or Aberdeen to give birth.
Douglas says that ensuring NHS Grampian have every resource they need to restore maternity services and recruit enough frontline staff to work in the region should be top of the new health secretary’s to-do list.
He said that during any visit to Elgin, Michael Matheson should also meet with tireless campaigners KeepMUM to hear their ongoing concerns and provide them with face-to-face reassurances about the future set-up at Dr Gray’s.
Douglas- who has been personally affected by the ongoing downgrading of services at his local hospital- says he will hold Michael Matheson firmly to account on this issue at every turn in Parliament and hopes that he will agree to a meeting as soon as possible.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said: “I wish the new Cabinet Secretary well in his new post, but there is no time to waste for Michael Matheson when it comes to restoring consultant-led maternity services at Dr Gray’s.
“This supposed temporary downgrade has now gone on for almost than five years and more and more Moray mums are having to take often treacherous journeys to give birth in Inverness or Aberdeen.
“I know how frightening that is and that is why restoring maternity services at Dr Gray’s must be a top priority for the man who has replaced the now First Minister Humza Yousaf as health secretary.
“Current plans will not see services fully restored until 2026 or even 2027 at the earliest and that is extremely worrying for mums and families across Moray.
“It is imperative that Michael Matheson visits Moray to not only hear from myself but also tireless local campaigners like KeepMUM to listen to their concerns directly and to give them reassurances that he is treating this issue as a matter of urgency.
“I will continue to hold him to account at every opportunity to ensure that NHS Grampian have every resource they need to restore services and have enough funding to recruit the necessary staff to make this a reality at long last. It's also vital that the Health Board are pushed at every opportunity to deliver the improvements needed.
“I urge the new Scottish Health Secretary to make visiting Moray and discussing the restoration of maternity services at Dr Gray’s one of his first visits.”
