Caithness maternity campaigners are feeling optimistic after finally getting the chance to make their case to health secretary Humza Yousaf.
Mr Yousaf met members of the Caithness Health Action Team (Chat) at the Norseman Hotel in Wick this afternoon.
It represents a potential landmark moment for the group, who have been desperately trying to get their voices heard for six years.
Since 2016, the majority of pregnant women in Caithness have had to give birth at Inverness’s Raigmore Hospital due to a lack of consultants to run the maternity unit.
Births at Caithness General Hospital (CGH), the county’s largest medical facility, have declined by more than 90% between 2015 and 2020.
Humza Yousaf’s long-awaited trip to Caithness
Chat chairman Ron Gunn said the group felt like they were being listened to.
In addition to answering their questions, Mr Yousaf also spoke to a young mum from the far north about her ordeal of travelling to Inverness to give birth.
Mr Gunn said: “We didn’t know what we were going to get, but he certainly listened.
“It went a lot better than we thought it would. Having a new mum with a four-month-old baby able to talk about her experience, that was emotional.
“We’ve struggled to be heard in the past so today was refreshing.
“Now we give Mr Yousaf an opportunity. At the moment it is promising and he has agreed there needs to be dialogue.
“Let’s see where we are in four months.”
Can Caithness replicate Orkney’s maternity model?
The health secretary will travel to Orkney tomorrow and that could be good news for campaigners in Caithness.
Chat has been pushing for the maternity model used by their northern neighbours to be replicated in Wick.
The push for an independent inquiry into the situation continues.
No firm answers were forthcoming on that front. But the impression given seemed to be that some kind of inquiry could be on the horizon.
Mr Gunn added: “Mr Yousaf seemed very interested in the Orkney model.
“He accepted our situation is far from ideal and hopefully learning about their model will help.”
Speaking after the meeting, the health secretary said: “I have every sympathy with the position of the women I met with today and will do everything we can to help.
“Clearly the key priority is that the care provided to mothers and babies is as safe as possible.
“It has been imperative for me to hear directly from those most affected.
“Meeting those with lived experience is important to ensure we learn from the knowledge and how the community has been impacted.”
What happens next?
A review commissioned by health boards in the Highlands, Grampian and the islands is ongoing.
The Best Start North review is looking at the resources, challenges and opportunities in the current systems for maternity and neonatal services.
The review was paused during the pandemic but has now resumed.
The outcome is also keenly awaited in Moray.
Campaigners there have been battling their own corner against changes to their services.
What exactly changed in Caithness General Hospital?
NHS Highland conducted a review into the health model for Caithness in 2015.
One year later, it was decided that the Caithness General Hospital’s maternity unit would be downgraded, axing 24-hour obstetrician cover.
The review, which was carried out following the death of a baby in the local maternity unit, found that it would be safer to operate a midwife-led service locally with complicated births sent to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
As the decision was made on safety grounds, NHS Highland said there was no need for public consultation.
Since then, campaigners have fought tooth and nail to have services reinstated as close to home as possible to avoid mammoth trips of more than 100 miles south down the notorious A9 in all conditions.
