Concerns raised by mothers and families across the Far North have been vindicated by warnings over Scotland’s approach to maternity services, according to Caithness, Sutherland and Ross MSP David Green.
The Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP was responding to reports that Scotland’s Patient Safety Commissioner wrote to the Health Secretary in June recommending that the Scottish Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce be scrapped and replaced by an independent assessment of services.
The recommendation followed a Scottish Parliament vote in November 2025 calling for an independent review, although the Scottish Government subsequently established a taskforce that was not independent.
After continued campaigning by Caithness Health Action Team and the Scottish Liberal Democrats, the government later agreed to an independent review of maternity services that will include provision in Caithness.
The future of maternity care has been a long running concern in the Far North since consultant led maternity services were removed from Caithness General Hospital in 2016.
Women in Caithness can consequently face a journey of around 100 miles along the A9 to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness to give birth, making the availability and resilience of maternity services particularly important for families living across the region.
David Green said:
“For years, the Scottish Government put new mothers in Caithness on hold.
“It has meant many across the Far North must travel in the very worst of conditions for maternity care.
“SNP ministers repeatedly dodged and delayed an independent review of maternity services.
“The Patient Safety Commissioner’s warning vindicates the frustration that so many families are feeling.
“I was glad that the Scottish Government finally listened to the calls of both Caithness Health Action Team and my party by launching an independent review.
“It is imperative that this review now delivers for mothers and families, and I will be using my voice in parliament to make sure that it does.”
The independent review will now face considerable scrutiny from families and campaigners who have spent years raising concerns about maternity provision in Caithness.
For communities across the Far North, the central question will be whether that review ultimately delivers meaningful answers about the future of maternity care and the long journeys currently faced by women travelling to Inverness to give birth.
