The chief executive of NHS Grampian says it could take up to 10 years for a consultant-led maternity unit to return to Dr Gray’s in Elgin.
There have been question marks over timescales for fully restoring maternity services in Moray, with a detailed timetable not expected for another nine months.
But Caroline Hiscox told NHS Grampian board members on Thursday it could take seven to 10 years to fully restore maternity services at the hospital.
The unit was downgraded in summer 2018 due to a staff shortage with families facing trips to Aberdeen and Inverness for births instead.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf last week confirmed the government’s ambition to eventually enable the majority of pregnant women in Moray to give birth at Dr Gray’s within “years”.
In her remarks, Ms Hiscox was referencing the independent review into Moray maternity services, which was published in December.
It states that when set within the current service and workforce context, restoring a consultant-led maternity unit is “not deliverable within any reasonable timescale (two to five years), and unlikely even within the next 10 years”.
‘Huge blow to families in Moray’
Leader of the Scottish Conservatives Douglas Ross, who attended the virtual board meeting, said he “came away deeply frustrated and disappointed”.
He added: “Three years ago we were told that our consultant-led maternity unit was being temporarily downgraded for a year, but since then very little has been done to restore this service.
“To hear the chief executive of NHS Grampian state that it could take another seven to 10 years to reinstate this vital service is a huge blow to families in Moray.
“It means that Moray kids who have been born since the downgrade could be teenagers before we see the consultant-led unit back up and running in Elgin.
“I specifically asked Humza Yousaf in the Scottish Parliament if he could guarantee the service would be up and running before the end of this Parliamentary session (2026) but he ignored that question. It now seems obvious why.”
The health board also noted they were waiting for a letter from the health secretary before proceeding further and outlined they were aiming to agree timeframes for a return to a consultant-led unit in nine months’ time.
Mr Ross, who is also the MP for Moray, has written to Mr Yousaf and NHS Grampian seeking answers to concerns over timescales.
Keep Mum, a campaign group fighting to restore maternity services at Dr Gray’s, have welcomed the return to a consultant-led unit for mums in the region.
But they continue to have “pressing questions”, including timescales for the return of services.
In an interview with the Press and Journal last week, Mr Yousaf said he “won’t pre-empt the work that’s being undertaken right now” to determine the timetable.
However, he committed to deliver “whatever level of investment is required” at both Dr Gray’s and Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
An initial £10 million will be split evenly between the two hospitals.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The health secretary has made it clear that he wants to see quick progress in setting out the timescales for the increase in services leading to full consultant-led maternity services at Dr Gray’s.
“This will see 80 to 90% of Moray births taking place at the hospital over a period of time on a phased basis, with delivery of as much antenatal and postnatal care as possible there in the short term, reducing the need to travel for appointments.
“Funding of £5 million to invest in Dr Gray’s to support moving forward with the changes in Moray, was announced last month.”