Women in Fife are calling for the old gynaecology ward at Victoria Hospital to be fully reinstated, claiming what is now on offer is “broken” and “not working”.
In 2019, the service at the Kirkcaldy hospital was moved out of ward 32 to allow for the medicine of the elderly ward to be moved into a newer part of the hospital.
Since then, anyone needing gynaecology care has been sent to an area within the hospital’s maternity unit.
Members of the Endometriosis Fife group, and Fife MSP Roz McCall, want the health board to move back to the old set up.
Endometriosis is a painful condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places such as the ovaries or the bowel.
The campaigners say having gynaecology beds within the maternity unit is causing hundreds of women unnecessary stress and trauma.
‘It is completely broken’
Gemma Beswick, who helps run the Endometriosis Fife group, was diagnosed with the condition six years ago.
She has concerns about the number of beds available for gynaecology patients, and worries about the trauma of a woman experiencing a miscarriage being sent into a maternity ward.
“We need to reinstate what was already there and was working,” she said.
“It is not working now, it is completely broken.”
The group has more than 600 members who want improvements and additional beds.
NHS Fife says there are six beds available, with more in the hospital’s surgical ward if needed.
Ms Beswick said: “The bottom line is, gynaecology is now in the maternity unit and it is shocking.
“It has been sacrificed.
“There are so many women in Fife who at some point in their life will need a gynaecologist and it feels like it is not there.”
‘This is completely unacceptable’
This is something Roz McCall, Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, says she fully understands as an endometriosis sufferer.
She ended up adopting her two daughters, Kennedy and McKenzie, because of her condition.
Ms McCall said: “I have so many examples of women being brought into the maternity ward because they need specialist gynaecological assessment.
“In some cases these are women who are trying to have children next to birthing mums.
“One woman who is trying to have a baby was wheelchaired into the early pregnancy unit and then left outside the ward – that is completely unacceptable.”
She raised the concerns with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and wrote to Health Secretary Humza Yousaf but has not received a response.
‘I know what the women are going through’
Ms McCall said: “I don’t have to research the emotions behind this – I know this.
“I know what the women are going through.
“I was diagnosed with endometriosis and was told it could be hereditary because my mum had it.
“She ended up having a hysterectomy because of it.
“I didn’t go down that route because at the time I was trying to have a child and when I realised that wasn’t going to happen we went for adoption instead.”
NHS Fife defends ward move
NHS Fife says they provide an “excellent standard” of gynaecological care and will make further improvements to the new set up are planned for 2023.
A spokesman for the health board added “under no circumstances” are women who are waiting on a gynaecological assessment sat next to a birthing mum.
Claire Dobson, director of acute services at NHS Fife, said: “While the physical location of the service moved back in 2019, women in Fife, including those with endometriosis, have continued to have access to our dedicated specialist gynaecology service throughout.
“We are acutely aware of the psychological and emotional needs to patients accessing the gynaecology service, and while there are both maternity and gynaecology services provided within the footprint of ward 24, we maintain complete separation of the two patient groups with distinct exit and entry points for each.”
The health board added the move from ward 32 to ward 24 means the medicine of the elderly ward can be in the newer part of the hospital, and the gynaecology service can be closer to theatres and critical care.
Conversation