FOR THE SAKE OF OUR CHILDREN, YOU MUST ACT NOW, NICOLA
As another case of needless tragedy emerges, a stark message to Nicola Sturgeon’s government:
THE latest revelations about infant deaths in our hospitals are as shocking as they are unacceptable and will understandably cause great concern for soonto-be mothers across Scotland. Those I have spoken to are simply astonished this could happen in a 21st Century health service. One unnecessary death is one too many, but here we have evidence of numerous ‘potentially avoidable’ deaths in Scottish maternity units.
The past week has seen a string of worrying statistics that have unveiled an ongoing crisis in Scotland’s maternity wards.
Families need to have full confidence in our health service so they can be sure that when they attend the local maternity ward they and their newborn child will get the best possible care.
This is clearly not the case as things stand. First, we learned there have been more than 25,000 ‘adverse incidents’ in our maternity units since 2011. While many of these were minor, the most serious cases resulted in stillbirths and the deaths of newborns and mothers.
This was followed by the news of six ‘unnecessary’ deaths of babies at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock since 2008.
What made this especially concerning was that Nicola Sturgeon, when Health Secretary, ordered an investigation into NHS Ayrshire and Arran in 2012 – but the recommendations made have largely been ignored. This has resulted in yet more heartbreak for families who have lost children – and it is understandable they want answers.
NOW we have learned changes to maternity services at Caithness General Hospital are being proposed following the potentially avoidable deaths of five babies in five years. As an MSP for the Highlands and Islands, I know many of my constituents in Caithness will be hugely concerned at these reports, particularly given the obvious challenges that pregnant mothers face in a remote and rural area of the country.
The response of Health Secretary Shona Robison has been lacklustre, ordering another investigation into Crosshouse by the same organisation whose recommendations were ignored in 2012, Healthcare Improvement Scotland.
It is a respected body, but questions have to be asked about whether it is the appropriate organisation to be looking into this, given it is part of the NHS and not truly independent.
In England, an inquiry into the Morecambe Bay baby scandal led to a thorough investigation of what went wrong and how best to address matters. I believe a similar inquiry should still be an option here. It would ensure an objective eye was cast over the whole of our NHS maternity services and hopefully produce a thorough list of measures that could be taken to stop such incidents recurring.
More worrying still, it is clear from some of these reports that staffing levels have contributed to a lower level of care.
This isn’t to say the medical staff on hand were to blame, quite the contrary: the doctors, nurses and midwives in our hospitals do a fantastic job. But there simply aren’t enough medical staff to deal with the increasing NHS workload.
A recent Audit Scotland report tore into the SNP’s record of managing our NHS. It found problems in the recruitment and retention of staff were increasing pressure on current employees and were also leading to increasing amounts of money being spent on temporary staff.
The report also showed the vast majority of waiting time targets are not just being missed; many are going backwards.
This was on top of research by the Royal College of Nursing last month which showed Scotland’s nurses faced a ‘perfect storm’, with an ageing workforce and fewer students.
These reports paint a picture of an NHS in serious trouble, with short-staffing leading to worsening patient care and ever more stretched budgets.
NHS staff are among the most dedicated public servants, but they need support so they can get on with doing what they do best – caring for patients, treating illness and saving lives.
But that work is under threat as it has become clear that the NHS workforce is overstretched and is struggling to meet ever-increasing demands.
DESPITE these warnings, there is no drive from the SNP to make the changes we need. Instead, we have total Government inertia and a complete lack of acknowledgement as to how bad the current situation is. The SNP Government is sleepwalking through this staffing crisis – and it is becoming one of the most serious to affect the NHS in years.
It is time for the SNP to take responsibility – and belated action. Miss Robison admitted she is ultimately accountable for the failings regarding these deaths. So the onus is on her to do something urgently, which is why I have written to her demanding immediate action.
The SNP’s recent programme for government provided little evidence it was addressing the issues. We have to create a sustainable NHS that is properly staffed over the next five years, but also over the next 25 years.
Until we do this we will continue to see staff put under increasing pressure – and mistakes will inevitably be made.
As these mistakes can result in such terrible tragedy, it should be the Government’s priority to do everything it can to address the situation.
At the heart of this are the families who have had to go through these horrific experiences. When you hear some of their personal accounts regarding stillbirth and newborn deaths, you realise the heartrending trauma experienced.
They are rightly looking for answers, not only to understand what went wrong but also to ensure other families don’t have to go through what they did.
We owe it to them and to families across Scotland to deliver a health system they can rely on. But until we provide real change to our staffing system, we run the risk of seeing more of these tragic headlines.
Donald Cameron is Scottish Tory health spokesman.
Families who have lost children want answers