The full return of consultant-led maternity care at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin has slipped into next year. NHS Grampian had aimed to restore the complete service by the end of 2026 but now says it will be delivered as soon as it is safe to do so in 2027.
Maternity services at Dr Gray’s, the largest hospital in Moray, were downgraded in 2018 because of staff shortages. Since then most expectant mothers in the area have had to travel to Aberdeen or Inverness to give birth. Planned Caesarean sections resumed at the hospital last year for the first time in almost seven years, and low-risk pregnancies are currently accepted there.
The health board says a special care unit for newborn babies will open and that it is on track for 200 births at Dr Gray’s this year, double the figure of three years ago. Rather than switching everything on at a single date, it now plans to bring in the remaining services in phases as each one is ready. Jane Gill, programme director for the Moray Maternity Programme, said the end-of-year deadline had always been ambitious. The board will be asked to approve the new approach at its meeting on Thursday.
Chief executive Laura Skaife-Knight said the full service was “firmly within reach” and that she understood why some people in Moray remained sceptical after waiting so long. She said she took personal responsibility for finishing the job. Moray MSP Laura Mitchell said the local community would be deeply disappointed and urged the board to deliver the service as quickly as possible.
The delay comes as a national review of Scotland’s maternity services gets under way. Chaired by maternal and child health expert Professor Christine McCourt, the nine-month review will pay close attention to care in rural and island communities, with a specific focus on Elgin, Caithness and Wigtownshire. It will also take account of unannounced inspections of all 18 acute maternity units now being carried out by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, and is due to report in July next year.
