Stone demands First Minister faces the ‘dangerous realities’ of current maternity model in Caithness

Scottish Liberal Democrat and Far North MP, Jamie Stone, has written to the First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf, to demand that the Scottish Government step in to reform the current Caithness maternity model.

The current centralised model forces pregnant mums to travel to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness from as far as 100 miles away. This can take up to four hours - the danger of which has been raised in Parliament by Mr Stone numerous times.

Crucially, the recent storm has underlined this issue once again. During Storm Babet, Caithness communities faced even greater worry and anxiety when the main arterial road to Raigmore was blocked by the extreme weather.

Mr Stone has publicly criticised the neglect from both the Scottish Government and NHS Highland, and demanded change - vowing not to stop until a safer model is introduced.

Commenting, Mr Stone said:

“This is a recipe for tragedy under the watch of a Scottish Government who have promised a 'Best Start' for all families no matter where they live in Scotland. I certainly would not call this the best start. I would call this medieval.

“There is a clear solution. A maternity model that is similar to the Orkney maternity model would allow the majority of our mothers to be able to give birth in Caithness, with only a minority having to endure the journey to Raigmore.

“One can only assume that this dangerous model endures as a result of a lack of care and, frankly, laziness on the part of the Scottish Government.

“The SNP’s obsessions with centralising services and catering for the central belt has led to a severe and dangerous neglect of the Highlands. I will continue to make sure this issue is not ignored and that my constituents are not forgotten.”