More women giving birth at Dr Gray’s as final stages of maternity expansion move into new year

NHS Grampian today announced that births at Dr Gray’s are forecast to reach almost 200 by the end of this year - almost twice the number recorded just three years ago.

Alongside the latest birth projections, the health board also confirmed that, once its expanded consultant-led maternity service is fully in place, four in five women in Moray will have the option of giving birth at Dr Gray’s.

Once fully delivered, the expanded consultant-led service will provide the most comprehensive and advanced maternity care ever available in Moray.

A new approach, which NHS Grampian’s Board will be asked to endorse at its meeting on Thursday 8 October, will see the full consultant-led service introduced in stages, allowing women and families to benefit from each new part as soon as it is ready to be introduced safely.

Jane Gill, Programme Director for the Moray Maternity Programme, said:

“As everyone knows, having the full expanded service in place by the end of this year was always an ambitious target. We will have a large part of the service in place by the end of the year, but some elements will need more time.

“We owe it to women and families to be completely open about that and clear about what is available now, what comes next and when, so they have the information they need to make choices and plan.

“Rather than waiting for one date when everything switches on at once, the proposal being put to the Board this week would allow us to bring services in as soon as they are safe and ready, giving women and families access to more care closer to home at the earliest opportunity.”

Jane went on to explain that, alongside the significant increase in births at Dr Gray’s since work to expand the service began, planned Caesarean births have returned, antenatal and ultrasound services have expanded, and the Day Assessment Unit and maternity telephone triage service have been introduced.

Katie Colville, Director of Midwifery at NHS Grampian, said:

“Together, those changes have saved families tens of thousands of miles of travel and provided thousands of appointments in Elgin over the last three years.

“We’ve also got some fantastic new specialist staff working here in Moray and this includes dedicated perinatal mental health support and enhanced specialist care for women with diabetes during pregnancy. This has really strengthened local access to specialist services, allowing more women to receive the care they need closer to home.

“And, importantly, as these figures show, more and more babies are being born here.

“There is a huge amount for our teams to be proud of, and we want to keep building on that.”

Jane added that, in addition to recruiting further obstetricians, anaesthetists and other staff, there is still work to do on training and strengthening round-the-clock cover, including in theatres, as well as ensuring the right specialist support is there if a mother or baby suddenly needs more complex care.

She continued: “There is no let-up - just last week the latest phase of our successful ‘Wish You Worked Here’ recruitment campaign got underway, this time targeting further anaesthetists, pharmacy staff and additional project staff who will help us with the final push towards delivering the full service. The campaign has already helped us recruit more than 70 new staff across maternity and supporting services.

“And we’re already developing the next phase, aimed specifically at attracting consultant obstetricians and gynaecologists to Moray.”

The new roadmap and updated eligibility information show at a glance what is available now, what is coming next and by when, and what still needs to be in place before further parts of the service can be safely introduced.

Laura Skaife-Knight, Chief Executive of NHS Grampian, said:

“I know some people in Moray will remain sceptical, and I understand why. They have waited a long time for this, and I want them to know that I take personal responsibility for making sure we do everything possible to finish the job.

“Our end destination is clear, and the full service is now firmly within reach. We just need a little more time, but we are determined to continue the work we have started by delivering the full consultant-led maternity service that Moray has been promised.

“My assurance to families is simple: we will do it well and we will do it as soon as is safely possible next year.

“I would like to thank the Scottish Government for their continued support in making this possible. Their commitment of over £10 million is clear evidence of that support and of their commitment to ensuring as many women and families as possible in Moray can receive care closer to home, where clinically appropriate - which is our aim.”