Newborn car seats to help babies get home

A Caithness health lobby is continuing its efforts to make life easier for the nine out of 10 mothers from their area who have to go to Inverness to give birth.

Caithness Health Action Team (Chat) already offer packs containing essential kits to sustain women on their marathon trips to Raigmore when they have to leave all of a sudden.

They also have a stock of lay-back car safety seats for the newborns on the return trip.

Chat acted a year ago following several incidents in the Central Belt when babies encountered difficulties

“Women can request them a couple of weeks before they are due”

when being carried in conventional upright seats.

That led to guidance that drivers on long journeys should stop for breaks every half an hour.

Following a successful fundraising campaign, it has now acquired eight seats, which cost about £300 each.

Chat vice-chairman Ron Gunn said yesterday: “Women can request them a couple of weeks before they are due and we arrange for them to pick one up. It’s proved a really popular service and it’s thanks to the generosity of the public and organisations that we have it.”

Mr Gunn added Chat is in the throes of adapting the seats so they can be fitted with wheels to help new mums who do not have access to a car and have to take their babies home by bus or train.

“That allows them to be converted into a buggy as the seats we have are pretty bulky,” he said.

In addition Chat is exploring ways to provide transport north for unaccompanied women who do not have their own transport.