Holyrood View - Add your voice to maternity services campaign
I am sad to report that an attempt to delay the downgrade of Tayside’s neonatal intensive care was voted down in Holyrood. But there is time for your voice to be heard on this issue.
In July 2023, the Scottish Government announced it would cut the number of neonatal intensive care units (NICU) from eight to three, with Ninewells one of those to be downgraded to a Local Neonatal Unit (LNU).
MSPs agreed there should be an investigation into maternity and neonatal services across Scotland. However, the SNP amended that vote to say that will only happen "if Scotland’s new Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce recommends it". There is no set timing for that. We know how consultation in Scotland usually happens after the fact.
Scottish Conservatives moved to pause the NICU downgrade until the national investigation has concluded. This was voted against by the SNP and Greens and so it fell.
Ninewells is incredibly important for newborns in Tayside, following years of maternity service closures. These have happened in Angus, including Montrose community midwifery in 2016, the Fyfe-Jamieson in Forfar in 1993 and the end of maternity at the town’s Whitehills shortly after mums were sent there.
A replacement Montrose unit for north Angus was also scrapped in 2013.
This means the most premature and critically ill babies will be transferred to specialist centres in Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen. The decision to proceed without further scrutiny fails to account for the emotional and logistical toll on families.
A petition opposing the downgrade has now surpassed 20,000 signatures, with campaigners calling for transparency and a halt to implementation until a full review is completed, with 14,000 of those signatures happening in one week.
Despite the Scottish Government's inability to listen, there is still a lot of road to go down. I would ask parents and families to find the petition and add their voices, which will be listened to at Holyrood's public participation committee. When the SNP come to your door next year, make them explain why they have pushed this risky and untested strategy to centralise services.