Jamie McGrigor, Highlands & Islands Conservative MSP, and Councillor Donald Kelly (Argyll First, South Kintyre) are backing the concerns of their constituents who have voiced their opposition to the withdrawal of antenatal ultrasound scanning in Argyll & Bute.
Until recently, local hospital-based midwives have carried out antenatal scans on pregnant women to confirm the pregnancy and estimate the time of delivery. However, as a result of a review which suggested midwives needed additional training, women who require this service will now, and for the foreseeable future, require to travel to hospitals within NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde area for antenatal scans.
Commenting today, Councillor Kelly said:
“I share the concern and anger of my constituents in Kintyre about the withdrawal of this service from Campbeltown Hospital and its centralisation elsewhere. The midwife in Campbeltown has been carrying out antenatal scans safely for many years now.
“Now, pregnant women face the stress, cost, and inconvenience of lengthy trips to Glasgow for these scans. NHS Highland should look at this issue urgently and reconsider its position”.
Jamie McGrigor, who has been contacted by constituents on this matter and has written to the Health Secretary Alex Neil and the Chief Executive of NHS Highland on the subject, said:
“I sympathise with my constituents who have voiced their frustration at what they see as the removal of another important NHS service from Argyll & Bute.
“At the very least, NHS Highland should now be making every effort to ensure midwives in Argyll - who do such a fantastic job - are able to have any required additional training as soon as possible. I will be pressing NHS Highland to put this in place”.
Jamie awaits a response from NHS Highland.
Click the link below to read an initial response from Alex Neil MSP, Health & Wellbeing Secretary.