Maternity Units

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at 5:09 pm on 27 April 2000.

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Photo of Irene Oldfather Irene Oldfather Labour 5:09, 27 April 2000

I thank those who have supported this motion, enabling the debate to take place today, albeit it is somewhat overshadowed by the other events of the afternoon.

It is with some regret that I find myself, a member of the Health and Community Care Committee of this Parliament, speaking to a motion about lack of consultation by health boards. In particular, I am disappointed by lack of consultation by Ayrshire and Arran Health Board, which covers my area, in relation to a maternity hospital in which I had my own children. However, I welcome the opportunity that this debate provides to speak up for the women in the area I represent.

Most people see the creation of this Parliament as arising from a desire for a more democratic style of government for Scotland. Those who have been following the activities of the Health and Community Care Committee will appreciate that those expectations have not been matched in the activities of health boards. In the Stobhill and Stracathro reports, the Parliament has already sent out a clear message that railroading through predetermined outcomes is no longer acceptable.

The Stobhill report calls on the Executive to

"instruct Health Boards to prepare and discuss with interested bodies . . . a programme of informing, engaging and consulting with staff and the community on any change of use or closure."

I will outline for members what has happened in my constituency as an example of the difficulties that women face in having their views on maternity services expressed, even in the context of a Scottish Parliament pledged to bringing government and decision making closer to the people.

In February 1998, long before the setting up of a Parliament and even before the restructuring of trusts, Ayrshire and Arran Health Board published a maternity services strategy. In it was a recommendation to conduct an option appraisal of in-patient maternity services with a view to considering relocation. The report from that group was presented to the health board on 24 February this year—it is the rather weighty document that I have with me now. I received a copy of it in April. The recommendation was closure of the Ayrshire maternity unit in my constituency.

How did I find out about the health board's recommendations? As I had a three-hour meeting with the board on the Monday of the week in which the decision took place, one might think that I was made aware of the proposed closure then. I was not. Members will therefore understand that I and my colleagues in the area were astonished to receive routine health board papers two days before it made the decision to close the unit.

I have to ask whether the health board really believes that that constitutes consultation with communities in the new political structures. I ask the Parliament to send out a message today that health boards treating representatives of the people in that way is a disservice to our democracy in Scotland and a discourtesy to local communities and the women whom MSPs represent.

There is not enough time to consider the detail of the decision, but I would like to make some brief comments about Ayrshire central hospital's record of clinical effectiveness. The safety of women and their babies and offering women a choice are the most important factors in decisions to provide services. If one asks the women whom I represent—the service users—what they want from a maternity service, they will say, "A positive outcome; a healthy baby." They are likely to mention a personalised service with personal attention that is family friendly and helps them to deliver their baby. They will also ask for choice and control in the delivery process.

The excellence of Ayrshire central hospital's maternity unit in providing that choice and control is in no doubt, and suggesting otherwise is a great disservice to the staff. In 1998-99, Ayrshire central hospital registered the lowest stillbirth rate in Scotland, at 3.2 per 1,000 births against a Scottish total rate of 5.6 per 1,000. The figure for perinatal deaths is also the lowest in Scotland, at 6.1 per 1,000 as against 8.7 per 1,000.

The preventable stillbirth figures for 1998 are even more outstanding, with Ayrshire central boasting half the Scottish average. The percentage of normal deliveries with no complications was also well above the Scottish average. Ayrshire central holds the record for one of the youngest surviving premature births in Scotland. In common with almost 3,000 women who signed petitions about the closure, I remain to be persuaded that transferring essentially healthy women to a district general environment for sick people, where the possibilities of cross-infection and disease are prevalent, is in the best interest of reducing maternal death rates.

If the money is available, I urge the health board to invest in upgrading the present facilities. That would represent value for money for the taxpayer and build on the already first-class reputation of the hospital.

The figures that I have referred to illustrate what local people know: that the unit is first-class and provides some of the best health care in Scotland. I ask that Ayrshire and Arran Health Board engage in a proper consultation exercise in an open and transparent manner, and in the true spirit of partnership.

I welcome the opportunity to challenge the detail of the option appraisal paper. Frankly, as a researcher, I think that a coach and horses could be driven through it. This Parliament has demonstrated its worth today by providing the opportunity to remedy a wrong. It has allowed the views of my constituents to be heard. I ask the Parliament and the Minister for Health and Community Care to send out a clear message that health boards are accountable and have no right to disregard the democratic process.