New Moray maternity unit could be in place in 2026

A consultant-led maternity service could be reinstated at Moray's largest hospital in 2026, NHS Grampian has said.

Services at Dr Gray's were downgraded in 2018 due to staff shortages, forcing most expectant mothers in the area to travel to Aberdeen for births.

In March, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf announced a plan to set up a consultant-led unit at the hospital.

Campaigners have been calling for the return of the service.

NHS Grampian has warned there are significant challenges to the plan.

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In a report to NHS Grampian's board, which approved the draft timescale at a meeting on Thursday, officials said recruitment and retention of staff remained as big an issue now as it did in 2018.

It said additional employees and resources would be needed.

But officials also said the establishment of the new unit was an exciting development for health care in the Moray area, and NHS Grampian was committed to the project.

Until consultant-led services resume there is a short-term plan to set up a new community maternity unit, linked to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

Concerns were raised by some staff at the Highland hospital that this would lead to overcrowding at the site

A report to NHS Grampian board said progress was being in this area and NHS Highland, which runs Raigmore, had approved a capital business case for the refurbishment and upgrading of part of the hospital's maternity infrastructure.

The report went on: "It is acknowledged that the milestones and timescales contained in this document are ambitious.

"They reflect the commitment and 'can do' approach that is needed to achieve the highly challenging aim set out by the cabinet secretary and they are predicated on a number of assumptions and caveats, including those inputs from partner organisations, workforce availability and the availability of sustainable funding sources."

Ahead of Thursday's board meeting, Simon Bokor-Ingram, who is leading the Dr Gray's maternity project, said NHS Grampian was committed to delivering a consultant-led obstetric service.

Keep Mum campaigner Kirsty Watson said travel times to Aberdeen were too long for expectant mothers

Moray's SNP MSP Richard Lochhead said the restoration of consultant-led services in 2026 was a "vast improvement" on the 10 years of work the health board initially said would be needed.

But Conservative Moray MP Douglas Ross said the timescale was disappointing, and by 2026 the downgrade of services would have last for eight years.

The group Keep Mum has been pushing for the return of the service.

Campaigner Kirsty Watson told BBC Alba's Eòrpa programme last week: "We are too far from specialist maternity care.

"If something goes wrong here we are a two-hour drive from Aberdeen. If we choose to have our babies in Aberdeen we have that two-hour drive in labour and it's not good enough."