Three-quarters of Moray babies born in Aberdeen since 2018

Almost three-quarters of babies in Moray have been born in Aberdeen Maternity Hospital since maternity services in Elgin were downgraded.

New figures obtained by BBC Scotland suggest that more pregnant women are travelling further to give birth.

In the three years before maternity services changed in 2018, about 85% of Moray babies were born at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin.

Between 1 July 2018 and 31 October 2021, that figure dropped to 25%.

Campaigners say it is not acceptable that so many prospective parents have to make a "long and dangerous" journey to Aberdeen have their babies.

The drive from Elgin to Aberdeen along the A96 can take more than 90 minutes, depending on the conditions.

• 'Prospect of giving birth on A96 isn't appealing'

• Maternity review highlights patient 'safety risks'

• Maternity downgrading comes into effect

Maternity services at Dr Gray's were temporarily downgraded three years ago due to staff shortages.

The results of a review into how a consultant-led service might be reinstated in Elgin are expected soon.

The new statistics emerged in a response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to NHS Grampian and they reveal that:

• Of 3,142 babies born between 1 July 2018 and 31 October 2021, 796 (25%) were delivered at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin

• A total of 2,317 (74%) were born in Aberdeen

• In the three years before the maternity services were downgraded, 2,736 of 3,169 Moray babies were delivered at Dr Gray's (85%) compared with 409 in Aberdeen

• From 2016 to 2021, there were 207 ambulance transfers from Dr Gray's to Aberdeen.

Consultant-led maternity services were suspended at Dr Gray's hospital in 2018

Alasdair Pattinson, general manager at Dr Gray's, said it was recognised the past three to four years had seen a reduction in local deliveries and an increase in births at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital.

"This has been challenging for the community and for both maternity teams", he said.

"It is our duty to ensure the safety of our patients and our staff is always paramount.

"Whatever the outcome from the independent review, we hope this will describe a sustainable solution to support deliveries closer to home for the Moray population."

'Deeply worrying'

The Keep Mum (Maternity Unit for Moray) group has been campaigning to protect services at Dr Gray's.

Spokeswoman Kirsty Watson said of the figures: "It's definitely not a surprise but it is deeply worrying because Moray is not some tiny rural area.

"As you can see from these figures, before the downgrade there were around 1,000 births per year at Dr Grays in Elgin.

"So it's just not acceptable that so many women are having to travel this long and dangerous journey, and have done for three years now. Women and their families are suffering intolerable levels of anxiety and stress at the moment."