NHS Tayside looks to be facing a double battle, in Arbroath and Montrose.
Arbroath Community Council chairwoman Patricia Millar said, “I am just so shocked and distressed to think that a move like this is even being considered.
“NHS Tayside say they want to hear the views of service users and members of the local community before they come to any decision, but we have heard this sort of thing from them before.
“The impression I sometimes get is that they go through the motions with these consultation exercises but, when it comes down to it, they have already made their minds up in advance.
“Not every mum-to-be wants to travel to a big city hospital to have their baby and there may be many reasons why Arbroath’s birth rate is lower at the moment.
“Perhaps NHS Tayside should be more proactive in making local mums-to-be more aware of the option of having their baby at a maternity unit which is practically on their doorstep.
“Obviously there are some mums-to-be-those who are maybe that bit older than most or who have other possible birth-related risks-who should and must go to Ninewells but I would think the vast majority of straightforward deliveries could be carried out in Arbroath.
“I’m forever being told the midwives at the Queen Mother Wing are excellent and the standard of care provided is second to none.
“I also understand that next year will be the 50th anniversary of the unit being opened by the Queen Mother and it would put a real dampener or any plans for a well-deserved celebration if the staff were to be told it was under threat of closure.
“I’m a firm believer in all types of services being provided as locally as possible and I will be at the forefront of any campaign to protect and preserve our much-loved maternity unit.
“To those who agree with me I would say they must make their voices heard now, not in a month’s time, if we are to ensure that the unit has a future.”
Meanwhile, it was all hands to the pumps for MUMS, the Maternity Users Montrose Group, when members heard NHS Tayside had begun a service review of the Angus maternity units.
The MUMS group was formed some years ago when the Montrose maternity unit was under threat and helped to keep open the unit which has now established an international reputation for the quality of its care.
“When we heard of the review there was very little known about the process or its full extent and, given what had happened in the past, there was concern it might have implications for the Montrose unit,” said Irene Hughes, vice-chairwoman of MUMS.
“It was perceived that it would be very likely that either the Montrose or Arbroath maternity units may be closed as a result, and we were prepared to fight our corner.
“This review is driven by the current financial situation of NHS Tayside and, after the postponement of the new unit due to have been built in Montrose earlier this year, we feared the worst.
“It is very disappointing that any unit might have to close as local health services are such an asset to their communities.”
In response to the perceived threat to the unit, MUMs decided to re-launch their Keep Mum campaign, which played a key role in helping keep the unit open when it was last under threat.
“Although NHS Tayside have now told us the review will apply only to Arbroath where there has been a significant drop in birth numbers, we believe it could still have implications for Montrose,” said Mrs Hughes.
“We are therefore going ahead with a petition launch at the farmers market on Saturday. It will do no harm to strengthen our position and emphasise the community support for the unit.”It is such a valuable resource for pregnant women and babies. We cannot lose this excellent, award-winning local service.
NHS Tayside said the review was principally looking at Arbroath and reiterated its commitment to the building of a new maternity unit at Montrose when funds became available.
In Arbroath it is suspected plans to review the services provided at the infirmary’s Queen Mother Wing maternity unit may turn out to be a prelude to closure or downgrading.
Similar fears are surfacing in Montrose about the future of maternity services there.
At the Arbroath unit, posters call on visitors to support the midwife-led service in the face of what staff feel is a very real threat to their jobs and to maternity services in the town.
One of the team working at the unit said yesterday, “As we understand things, NHS Tayside are looking closely at maternity services in Angus because, in the present financial climate, they can’t afford to sustain the two units in Arbroath and Montrose.
“The review is supposed to be taking place at the end of August but, now we know the threat exists, we the midwives of Arbroath will campaign as hard as we can to make sure the town does not lose this unit.
“To do that we need to enlist the help and support of as many people as we can-current patients, former patients, partners, family members and friends.
“We want them to sign our petition-copies have been distributed all over Arbroath-or direct their concerns in person to Gerry Marr, the head of NHS Tayside.
“They say they want to find out why the birth rate in Arbroath is down but we think this should be about more than figures it should be about the whole package offered to mothers before, during and after the birth of their child.
“Here we have a custom-built unit that, though opened by the Queen Mother almost 50 years ago, has been well-maintained and modernised over the years.
“The unit in Montrose, by comparison, occupies a building condemned as not fit for purpose.
“It must also be remembered, I think, that the Arbroath unit was funded by contributions from the local community.”
An NHS Tayside spokesperson said, “NHS Tayside has just started a review of Arbroath Maternity Unit, to look at who is booking to give birth at Arbroath and which mums-to-be choose to go to other units in Tayside.
“We want to understand why numbers of actual deliveries in Arbroath are low.
“We want to stress that there is no predetermined outcome to this process.
“There will be opportunities for service users and members of the community to be involved in this review and we will be advertising these soon.
“We would urge all those interested to come and help us by getting involved.”