Moray MP Douglas Ross says he “wholeheartedly agrees” with the major concerns outlined by Keep MUM after they received a briefing from NHS Grampian over plans to restore maternity services at Dr Gray’s.
The campaigning group posted a hugely critical post on social media following their meeting with the health board alongside others at a meeting of the Moray Maternity Voices Partnership.
The group say that the quality of the briefing presented to them was “very disappointing”. They added that any benefits of moving to Model 4 are severely limited and no evidence was presented as to how Model 4 will lead to Model 6 and the full restoration of maternity services at Dr Gray’s.
Keep MUM say there are a lot of unanswered questions including the very real concerns raised by clinicians in Inverness.
Douglas says that the SNP Government are continuing to let down expectant mothers in Moray and must urgently abandon their plans to move to Model 4 and put every resource into Model 6 and ensuring Moray mums will once again give birth in their own community.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said: “This latest withering verdict from Keep MUM should be an urgent wake-up call for the SNP to abandon their current plans and finally focus on fully restoring our maternity services at Dr Gray’s.
“It is clear that these tireless campaigners have absolutely no faith in the Model 4 that has been proposed by the SNP, which ministers now need to ditch as a matter of urgency.
“Ministers and NHS Grampian are continuing to let down expectant mothers at every turn and it is simply not good enough that the health board are still turning up to meetings without being able to address widespread concerns over Model 4.
“I had a similarly frustrating meeting with NHS Grampian recently and I am concerned we are further away than ever to restoring the consultant-led maternity unit in Elgin.
“We were told that this would be a temporary downgrading of services but that was over four years ago. Model 4 simply will not work in practice.
“It is time for SNP ministers to listen to Keep MUM and other local campaigners and invest every resource in delivering Model 6 and a full restoration of maternity services at Dr Gray’s.
“Nothing less than that full restoration will be acceptable for expectant mums and families in Moray who are desperate to give birth in their local hospital, rather than facing arduous journeys to Aberdeen or Inverness.”
