Women fear lack of maternity and gynaecological services in NHS Highland putting lives at risk

Women living in the most northern areas of mainland Scotland have warned that a lack of accessible care is putting lives at risk.

Across Caithness and Sutherland, women have been forced to travel long distances for vital services – highlighting significant disparities in healthcare provision across the country.

In 2016, the consultant-led maternity unit at Caithness General Hospital was downgraded to a midwife-led unit, meaning most women must travel for hours to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness to give birth.

For first-time mother Ellie Sheales, 29, the prospect of this journey was daunting: “When I first contacted the midwifery team in Wick, they told me I’d have to give birth in Inverness,”

Ellie said: “It’s a three-hour journey on a good day. The thought of doing that in labour was terrifying.”

The A9, the main route to Inverness, has been described by residents as “notoriously dangerous,” with poor road conditions and limited safety features.

Rebecca Wymer, 31, said: “The potholes are so bad people swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid them.”

Many women must now travel for hours to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness to give birth. STV News

Rebecca has suffered from endometriosis since her teens and says the lack of nearby care has had serious consequences.

She described how a recent surgery in Glasgow turned into a gruelling journey home.

“I had to stop constantly to use public toilets. Because of getting in and out of the car constantly, I did actually burst my stitches on the way home and had to go to A&E afterwards and have them redone.

“That would have been completely avoidable if the surgery had been available close to home.”

The long distances to access gynaecological and maternity care have caused women to feel unsupported and, in some cases, traumatised.

Ellie described her experience of labour and induction at Raigmore Hospital: “I was left waiting for days without my husband and felt really alone and frightened. The whole experience was traumatising.”

The healthcare gap also extends beyond maternity services.

Claire Clark, 40, underwent a hysterectomy at the age of 38 after years of debilitating pain.

She believes rural women deserve better.

“In a perfect world, we would have the model the Orkney does,” she said. “We’re not asking for more, we’re not asking for less. I think the least that we should have is to have someone available to us as and when required”.

Campaigners argue that the lack of services could lead to preventable tragedies.

“My biggest fear is that there will be an avoidable death of a mother or baby—or both,” Rebecca said.

Rebecca lodged a petition for an emergency review of women’s healthcare services in Caithness and Sutherland with the Scottish Parliament in 2021, but progress has been slow.

While a parliamentary report on rural healthcare highlighted insufficient funding for NHS Highland, local campaigners say little has changed.

The financial burden of accessing care is also a concern.

Accommodation in Inverness is often costly, especially during peak tourist seasons. While travel and accommodation costs can be reclaimed, campaigners argue this assumes women have the money upfront.

Some residents are frustrated by the disparity in care compared to other areas.

“It feels like we’re penalised for living here,” Claire said. “I would challenge anyone to go down the street in Glasgow and ask anyone if they would travel to Newcastle on a regular basis for medical care and see what the feedback was.”

Adding to the frustration, campaigners point out that laws protect animals better than pregnant women. “It’s illegal to transport sheep or cows in the last trimester of pregnancy,” Claire noted. “It is not fair, and it’s not okay that actually we’ve put a law in place for animals and we won’t do that for mums and babies.”

Despite the challenges, local women’s support groups have been vital in helping those affected.

Ellie praised the Women’s Health Hub team, saying: “They were invaluable when I felt I wasn’t getting communication from medical professionals.”

Campaigners are calling on the Scottish Government to take urgent action to address the crisis in rural women’s healthcare, and reverse the decision to downgrade the maternity unit to mid-wife led now before it’s too late.

A spokesperson for NHS Highland said: “Safety and quality are at the forefront of all of our service planning, and we provide as many gynaecology and maternity procedures as is safe to do so in Caithness General Hospital.

“There are regular consultant clinics in Caithness and we have successfully increased the midwifery team there. High-risk or complex cases continue to come to our District General Hospital in Inverness – this is the same for all our remote and rural areas in the Highland region.

“We plan our theatre lists to support travel for those travelling longer distances and accommodation and expenses are also provided.

“We are currently looking at developing some specialist nursing roles for Caithness to add resilience to the service, and running an endometriosis trial which will look at the care pathway for these patients.

“These are just some of the service developments that we are working with and in discussion with the North Highland Women’s Wellbeing Hub group. We appreciate them bringing ideas, concerns and suggestions forward and as a team we work to achieve improvement.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Women in Caithness can choose to give birth with the support of a midwife, whether at home or in the midwife-led unit at Caithness General Hospital. If there are any risks to the mother or baby, they are advised to give birth at Raigmore’s consultant unit.

“Women are provided with advice and support to decide where to give birth, and many women prefer to give birth in a unit with access to specialist care, including obstetric care.

“To minimise the need for women to travel, NHS Highland provides weekly obstetric-run antenatal clinics and scanning services in Caithness, and helps with travel and accommodation costs for women who need to travel for care.”

Watch the full report, Scotland Tonight: A Long Road to Women’s Care, at 8:30pm on STV and the STV Player.