Holyrood told some Highland women ‘lost their fertility’ due to ‘barbaric’ lack of access to Raigmore as Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton calls on First Minister John Swinney for action
The “barbaric” lack of full Caithness maternity that saw some women “lose their fertility” has been raised at First Minister’s Questions by Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton who called on John Swinney for action.
Mr Cole-Hamilton was raising the issue again following yesterday’s Scottish Budget which aims to deliver increased spending on health in the north but the lack of maternity and gynaecological services in the county was ignored.
The Liberal Democrat leader also cited the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s recent findings which found that locals can experience difficulty accessing “health, housing, and food” in the region.
‘Lost their fertility due to delays in accessing Raigmore in emergencies’
“Today, I want to remind the First Minister about what’s going on in the Far North. Mothers are forced to travel 100 miles through the snow and the ice to give birth in Inverness,” he said.
“An investigation by the Scottish Human Rights Commission received testimony to say that the situation was, and I quote, ‘barbaric’.
"Women left terrified by four hour drives in the dark with deer on the roads. It even heard that some have lost their fertility due to delays in accessing Raigmore in emergencies.
"No wonder they are moving away or choosing not to have any more children.
“Liberal Democrats have repeatedly asked for consultant-led maternity care in the Far North. What is the First Minister going to do about it, because these mums are still in danger?”
‘A question of the clinical safety of the service involved’?
First Minister John Swinney responded that it was not a matter of investment, saying: “The Caithness situation is slightly different because it is informed by assessments of patient safety about the volume of maternity cases that can be dealt with in Caithness.
“It is not a question of investment, it is a question of the clinical safety of the service involved.
“I quite understand the challenges and difficulties about the journey that Alex Cole Hamilton narrated to me but when ministers receive advice about clinical safety ministers would have to have very strong reasons not to follow that advice.
“I will happily engage with Mr Cole-Hamilton as will the health secretary on this important question to try to address the concerns which I know will exist in Caithness about this issue and we will try to reassure individuals concerned about the issue raised today.”
Mr Cole-Hamilton was backed by his party’s candidate in the far north David Green, who said that in fact it is a matter of government action and investment: "Women in the far north shouldn't be left to worry about a two-and-a-half hour drive down to Inverness to access vital health services.
"With the winter conditions we have had of late, we know just how dangerous this journey can be. It's beyond the pale. The government should have made some progress to restoring proper service levels in the north long before now.
"The Scottish Government has dragged its feet for too long where restoring maternity services in Caithness is concerned. It must be a priority in this budget."
What the Scottish Human Rights Commission said
Sexual and reproductive services
Sexual and reproductive health services were highlighted as a critical issue in areas such as Caithness, Sutherland, and Argyll and Bute. Of particular concern is the provision of maternity care and gynaecological services in Caithness and Sutherland. In 2016, a decision was made to downgrade the maternity provision at Wick hospital, requiring women to travel to Inverness for care. This raised concerns about the centralisation of healthcare services to Inverness, meaning that more than 14,000 patients per year now have to travel there for routine, emergent, and acute cases, with no risk assessments for patient safety.
The current situation requires women in labour to travel up to four hours to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, often relying on public transport if private transport is unavailable. For those in most areas of Sutherland, no public transport is available.
Women surveyed by human rights defenders reported feeling unsafe, terrified by the journey due to night-time travel, the possibility of giving birth en route, adverse weather conditions, and the presence of deer on the roads. As a result, some women are choosing not to have more children or are moving out of the area to avoid giving birth at Raigmore. Additionally, in cases of premature birth, mothers are sometimes sent to Aberdeen, Glasgow, or Edinburgh, as Inverness lacks sufficient beds.
“Women don’t feel safe anymore. It’s barbaric. We don’t matter up here. That’s what it feels like.” - Human rights defender
According to testimonies, some women have lost their fertility due to delays in accessing Raigmore Hospital in emergencies, with reported cases of ovarian torsion and haemorrhage. Human rights defenders in Caithness have pointed to the midwife-led maternity care model used on Orkney, where 80 per cent of patients give birth on the island with a midwife, and have questioned why NHS Highland cannot implement a similar model in their area.
Centralisation has also meant that babies requiring treatment for conditions like jaundice now have to travel to Inverness. Other services, including blood diagnostics, hip checks, and hearing tests for babies, are no longer provided in Wick and must be accessed in Inverness.
