Anas Sarwar calls for guarantee over women and babies’ safety in maternity wards

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has asked John Swinney when he will be able to “guarantee” women are able to safely give birth in maternity wards across Scotland.

His question comes after the Scottish Government confirmed an independent review would start in the autumn, following failures in care which led to baby deaths.

A separate review by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) earlier this month raised serious concerns about ward cleanliness and patient safety at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

It was the latest in a series of unannounced inspections of obstetric units since 2021.

First Minister John Swinney said his government was working with health boards to ensure any recommendations from the inspections were delivered to improve patient safety.

Health Secretary Angela Constance confirmed last week that a review of maternity services, to be chaired by Christine McCourt, a professor of maternal and child health at the University of London, will begin after the summer recess.

Raising the inspection at the Glasgow super hospital during First Minister’s Questions, Sarwar said the conclusions were similar to those following inspections in Lothian and Tayside.

He said: “These women were not failed by a virus or by bad luck. They were failed by a system that knew there was a problem and did not act quickly enough to fix it – because time and time again we see the same cycle. Warnings are raised, whistleblowers speak out, patients suffer, ministers promise lessons will be learned, a review is commissioned and then the next scandal arises.”

He also criticised that it had taken ministers seven months from accepting there needed to be a review of maternity care to announcing a chair for said review.

Sarwar went on: “When will John Swinney be able to guarantee that all women and babies will be safe in Scotland’s maternity services across the country?”

Swinney said the series of inspections had taken place “at the government’s behest” in NHS Tayside, Lothian and Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

He added: “Crucially, when those reviews identify recommendations, there is discussion from the government with the relevant health boards to ensure that those recommendations are implemented. And that’s the case in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

“But what there also is, is the drawing out of patterns of evidence which are coming out of these reports, which are then the subject of a focus on improvement with all health boards in Scotland.

“I say that to parliament to provide reassurance to families that when these reports are undertaken by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, they result in learning and the application of those processes in health boards around the country to ensure that we are constantly focused on improving services.”

The HIS report following the QEUH inspection ordered the health board to make 26 improvements, including addressing delays to inducement of labour, staffing issues, and inconsistencies in medical notes.

Dr Mary Ross-Davie, director of midwifery at the health board, said work was “progressing at pace” to respond to the findings.

The McCourt review will examine how maternity services can improve to meet the needs of women across the country, with a focus on rural areas. Specific concerns have been raised about the lack of local maternity services in Caithness, Moray and Galloway.