Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Moray women to be transferred to give birth in Inverness rather than Aberdeen

Improved transfer arrangements will enable pregnant women to be transferred to the closest obstetric unit at Raigmore Hospital.

Exterior of Dr Gray's Hospital behind trees
The maternity unit at Dr Gray's Hospital is not expected to return to being consultant-led until 2026. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.

Plans have been put in place to make it easier for Moray women to be transferred to give birth in Inverness rather than Aberdeen.

NHS Grampian and NHS Highland have improved transfer arrangements between Dr Gray’s Hospital and the closest obstetric unit at Raigmore Hospital.

This means women who develop a complication during labour at the existing midwifery-led unit at Elgin can be transferred to Inverness.

The arrangements are part of the Maternity Service Plan which involves consultant-led services returning to Dr Gray’s Hospital in 2026.

Creating a ‘sustainable’ service

The health boards have described the improved transfer arrangements as a “significant” step which builds on the close working relationship already in place.

It is hoped the arrangement, which will remain in place fore the next three years, will provide certainties for mothers and families.

A midwife will accompany any women being transferred to support their continuing labour care beforethey are transferred to clinicians based at Raigmore.

Raigmore Hospital Inverness.
Pregnant patients will now be able to give birth at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. Image: Sandy McCook/ DC Thomson.

Simon Bokor-Ingram, NHS Grampian’s Moray portfolio lead, said: “This arrangement with NHS Highland is a milestone moment in the evolution of local maternity services.

“We still have much to do and skilled staff to recruit but communities across Moray should be in no doubt about our commitment to deliver a sustainable consultant-led birth service for them.

“With NHS Grampian and NHS Highland working in partnership we have laid the foundation for a resilient, sustainable maternity service with safety at its heart.”

40-mile transfer from Moray

Moray MSP Douglas Ross has given a “cautious welcome” to the newly announced plans but believes they are “a step in the right direction”.

He said: “Allowing more Moray mums to give birth in Inverness rather than Aberdeen is a step in the right direction.

“I know from my own experience how worrying that journey is for Moray mums across to Aberdeen so I am glad NHS Grampian have taken this step.

“However, the reality for expectant mothers in Moray is that they still face a concerning 40-mile journey for the next few years, rather than being able to give birth in their own community.

“On current timescales the supposed temporary downgrade of maternity services at Dr Gray’s will last eight years, which is absolutely shocking.”

The picture shows Douglas Ross MSP in a suit holding a letter in his hand.
Douglas Ross MSP. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.

The Moray MSP added that campaigners fighting for the restoration of consultant-led services at Dr Gray’s Hospital will want reassurances that the announcement is not being used as a “distraction”.

Mr Ross continued: “What this move cannot do is distract any attention away from restoring consultant-led services at Dr Gray’s as quickly as possible from NHS Grampian and SNP Ministers.

“Jenni Minto heard directly from campaigners about how horrendous this experience is for them and those concerns cannot be ignored.

“While I am sure some mums in Moray will welcome this alternative, many will still be worried about the prospect of travelling to Inverness, especially during the winter months.

“I will continue to press SNP ministers and NHS Grampian to restore consultant-led maternity services in Moray as a matter of urgency.”

Conversation