Moray SNP News

LOCHHEAD MEETS HEALTH SECRETARY OVER MORAY MATERNITY SERVICES

HEALTH SECRETARY REVEALS LETTER TO NHS GRAMPIAN FOLLOWING SAFETY REVIEW 

Richard Lochhead MSP has met with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, Jeane Freeman, to discuss the ongoing situation with women and children’s service at Dr Gray’s Hospital.

The Health Secretary has confirmed that she has written a strong letter to NHS Grampian following her meeting with the health board to discuss its plan to reinstate a consultant led service is Elgin. In the Health Secretary’s letter to the health board she states that she has outstanding questions in relation to the safety report, public engagement, local management and the phase 2 plan.

Speaking after the meeting Moray’s SNP MSP said:

“I’m pleased the Health Secretary has written a strong letter to NHS Grampian conveying concerns over the recent report that painted a picture of our local maternity service that few people recognised. Thousands of women and families in Moray have benefited from the care of the midwives, doctors and consultants working there and can’t understand how such a report could be commissioned and published in the way it was.

“NHS Grampian need to be challenged on the independence of the report’s authors and also the other concerns expressed by Keep Mum, whom I met again in recent days and others. That is exactly what the Health Secretary is now doing, which illustrates that she is taking the Moray community’s concerns extremely seriously and remains committed to a consultant led service. It is clear from her letter that the Health Secretary shares the community’s impatience with the lack of progress to date.

“At our meeting, I was assured that once she has heard back from NHS Grampian Ms Freeman will decide quickly as to what next steps need to be taken to ensure a safe and stable consultant led service is restored, and also how the community’s confidence in the process can be rebuilt.  The pubic want to see the service restored as soon as possible and certainty within a reasonable timescale.”