Scotland's maternity services are in disarray -- and nowhere is this more painfully obvious than in the north.
Caithness General, once a beacon of consultant-led care, was downgraded in 2016. Since then, expectant mothers have faced the indignity of long-distance travel to Raigmore in Inverness, often in labour, often in distress, often in winter.
Meanwhile, Dr Gray's in Elgin limps toward a promised restoration of full services by 2026, funded by a £6.6 million pledge that feels more like hush money than progress.
Raigmore itself, the supposed regional hub, is buckling under pressure. A £9 million extension has just been greenlit -- not because of visionary planning, but because the system is cracking. The Highland maternity network is a patchwork of compromises, where geography trumps dignity and staffing shortages are the norm, not the exception.
Let's talk about those shortages. Scotland is haemorrhaging midwives. Vacancies stretch across the country, from urban centres to rural outposts. The reasons? Chronic underinvestment, burnout, and a culture that treats maternity care as an afterthought. Midwives are expected to perform miracles with skeleton crews, while politicians issue platitudes and photo ops.
Caithness has been "forgotten", as one campaigner put it. Not just in funding, but in basic respect. The downgrade of its maternity unit wasn't just a logistical decision -- it was a symbolic one. It said: "You don't matter enough." And that message echoes across Moray, Inverness, and beyond.
Here's the cynical truth: Scotland's maternity strategy is reactive, not proactive. It waits for crises, then throws money at them. It centralises services, then feigns surprise when rural communities suffer. It praises midwives, then leaves them unsupported and overstretched.
If this were any other sector -- say, defence or finance -- the uproar would be deafening. But maternity care? It's quietly sidelined. And the cost is borne by women, families, and the midwives who stay behind to pick up the pieces.
Until Scotland treats maternity services as essential infrastructure -- not optional extras -- this crisis will deepen. And Caithness, Elgin, and Raigmore will remain cautionary tales in a system that forgot what care really means.
The issue appears regularly in the media reflecting the unhappiness of several communities. It also feeds more and more into the staff shortages issue.
References
STV News - Campaign to restore full maternity service in Caithness reaches the UN (Feb 16, 2025)
https://news.stv.tv/highlands-islands/campaign-to-restore-full-maternity-service-in-caithness-reaches-the-un
John O'Groat Journal - Caithness 'forgotten about' as Moray and Inverness maternity services get extra funding (Mar 8, 2023)
https://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/caithness-forgotten-about-as-moray-and-inverness-maternity-305763/
The Highland Times - Retired GP Has Hit Out at The Coverage of The Caithness Maternity Services (Sep 26, 2025)
https://thehighlandtimes.com/retired-gp-has-hit-out-at-the-coverage-of-the-caithness-maternity-services/
BBC News Scotland - Dr Gray's maternity unit in Elgin to be restored by 2026 with £6.6m funding (2023)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-65000000
Press & Journal - Raigmore Hospital maternity unit to get £9m extension amid rising demand (2024)
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands-islands/raigmore-hospital-maternity-extension-9m
Royal College of Midwives (RCM) - Midwife shortages and workforce pressures in Scotland (2025)
https://www.rcm.org.uk/news-views/news/midwife-shortages-scotland