Fears expectant Dundee mums could have less support during pregnancy have turned into a political spat.
Jenny Marra, Labour’s shadow health secretary, has accused NHS Tayside of failing to answer questions on whether mothers in the city will see their antenatal classes cut to three core sessions.
Most were previously offered five antenatal classes preparing them for the birth and early stages of child care, but also offering a valuable peer-to-peer support network.
More than a month after asking the health authority to explain the situation, Ms Marra has claimed the response from NHS Tayside on the reduction of antenatal classes has been “unsatisfactory and unclear”.
She said: “It fails to confirm or deny whether antenatal classes are being cut from five to three. It talks about a review starting which I understood to be already under way.
“It also talks about standardisation of services across Tayside, but with a high proportion of younger mums coming from Dundee and some from disadvantaged areas, it is not clear if this need is being taken into account.
“It is my understanding from expectant mums who’ve attended classes that they have been told classes will be cut.”
A written response to Ms Marra from NHS Tayside chief executive Lesley McLay said the health board would offer more than the minimum recommended and intends to tackle inequality in the service between Dundee, Perth and Angus.
It stated: “The minimal content of the core syllabus are: maternal and infant nutrition, labour and birth, early days and parenting.
“The syllabus states that the delivery of this content is flexible and should meet local need and be regularly evaluated.
“NHS Tayside will offer more than the minimum recommended.
“It is important to recognise that antenatal education is not only offered in class settings, it may be offered on an individual basis and also takes place as part of one-to-one midwife visits.”
The statement also spoke about directing women to online information and said NHS Tayside is the first health board in Scotland to purchase a Birthplace app for smartphones.
Responding to Ms Marra’s criticism, NHS Tayside midwifery team manager Phyllis Winters said: “Following a review it was recognised that only a third of pregnant women attended the parent education group sessions in Tayside.
“In order to provide a fully responsive service, we have increased sessions to include antenatal education for those who have encountered complications and require more complex care.
“In total we now provide seven woman-focused group sessions in Tayside.”
The Courier understands these seven additional sessions are targeted and will not be offered to most mums.