Caithness General Hospital’s maternity unit is to be downgraded following a unanimous decision by members of NHS Highland’s board to axe its 24-hour obstetrician cover.
Protestors have been left deeply disappointed by the decision but have vowed to keep up the fight.
The new system will come into force immediately.
A review following the death of a baby in the local maternity unit last year said it will be safer to operate a midwife-led service and send any complicated births to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. Because the change is being made on safety grounds NHS Highland have said there is no need for public consultation.
Dr Hugo van Woerden, NHS Highland’s director of public health and health policy, said at the Inverness meeting it would not be safe to continue the current practice and that upgrading the facility would not be sustainable.
He said: “We examined all of the near misses at Caithness and found that 80 per cent of the time they could have been avoided if we were working with a community maternity unit (CMU).
“It was the unanimous view of the review panel that changing to a CMU is the safest way forward.”
Speaking after the meeting Caithness Health Action Team (CHAT) members said they will not give up the fight to protect services in Caithness.
Article originally published by the John O’Groat Journal.
