SAVE MATERNITY UNIT - LATEST

[frank ward]

The future of obstetric and gynaecology services in Caithness is still in the balance.

The North Action Group is distributing a new colour leaflet to 14,000 households in Caithness and North Sutherland over the next few weeks.

It would help NAG if you would read the leaflet, and comment upon it.

Also please say what town you live in, or give your first three postcode letters, so we can guage the effectiveness of our delivery system.

[frank ward]

Wick deliveries this week. Anybody got a comment??

[kat311]

I fully support NAG. If I ever have children I do not want to travel 100 miles to do it.

[AshleyEdwards19]

I fully support it too. Im due my baby in April and i dont want to Travel 100 miles to have it. [mad]

[Karen M26a]

Good flyer, will hopefully drum up some more support from the community.

I reckon there will be more than a few people deliver en route to Inverness :eek: if they downgrade the Henderson ward! Hope it won't be me!!!!!

[Bill Fernie]

For anyone who does not receive a leaflet it can be found here -
http://www.caithness.org/fpb/september2005/photogallery/thumbs.htm?3?7

North Action Group Latest Press Release can be viewed on the North Action Group Web site at http://www.northaction.org/viewtopic.php?t=79

NHS highland holds its Boar Meeting in Caithness today at the Portland Hotel. The maternity issue is once again on the agenda with an update of the latest position.

The full agenda is at
http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/nhshighland/About%20Us/Meetings/Board/20051004/Agenda%2004%2010%2005.pdf

The Maternity item can be found at
http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/nhshighland/About%20Us/Meetings/Board/20051004/Item%204.1%20Caithness%20paper%20Sept%202005%20upd ate3%20CMS.pdf

[Bill Fernie]

I have tried to get into the papers for the meeting today in Lybster but am now getting a message that the Pdf fils are broken and cannot be repaired. I have reisntalled Adobe Acrobat latest version to no avail and have checked Pdf files elseewhere and they work. Can anyone else have quick look at the links above and let me know if they can open themm. i have notified NHS highland of the problem but they may not fix the problem immediately.

I have phoned and asked for a copy of the papers to be emails to me. Once I receive them I will post the maternity paper here. It is interesting that the stance by NHS highland seems to finally be changing. For example they now talk of the original paper by Professor Calder as perhaps being too pessimistic on the sutainability of the maternity unit. After a period of problems with the Maternity Action Team administration (acknoledged in the paper) it is finally begining to come together with sub groups working on various apspects of a model put forward to test ideas against. Visits to Norway and Stranraer have taken place with memebrs of North Action Group accompanying board members and midwives to find out if there were lessons to be learnt in these situations. Reports on these visits are awaited.

Update
thanks to those who conctacted me to say Pdf files working OK at NHS Highland. Problem must be at my end.

[frank ward]

NHS Papers that should be open are frequently inaccessible to the Public. Always it is explained away as a 'technical glitch'.

I have sent TWO requests to the NHS regarding these 'broken' Board papers over a week ago and had NIL response. I also requested a paper copy - still waiting.

Note also that the (interim?) report on Caithness maternity services was not sent to any members of the Maternity Action Team (except of course those in the inner circle) or the members of the User Group.

The NHS Board and its officials cannot be trusted as far as the end of their Pinocchio noses. They are under Executive pressure to complete the centralisation of Scotland's maternity services and the deaths of babies is for them a risk they are prepared to take.

[Mr P Cannop]

web link seems to be working now

http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/nhshighland/About%20Us/Meetings/Board/20051004/Agenda%2004%2010%2005.pdf

[Fran]

Have you tried contacting caithness General Hospital Patients council?

[brandy]

def the best to have maternity here!
i have to go to inverness each preg (diabetic) and its not fun.. sitting on a bus 6 hours a day for a 20 min dr visit.. then going in a week early and sitting in hospital and waiting to have a baby then sitting in hospital until you get home.. and then you have to get home! ummm the so called hospital bus.. never seen it.. always took the inverness bus.. and last time when i had a section i had to find my own way home.. was even going to transfer into wick but there were no ambulances to bring me.. they would not send one up.. the only way i could get an ambulance to transfer me from raigmore to wick was if a wick ambulance was bringing someone down and no one was going back with them then i could catch a lift with baby in tow.. not very good i think.
oh and they dont take you down either i was told at 8 mnths preg that if i took the bus down to have the baby then they would reemburse my fare!
just wondering what happens when you go in labour on the bus?
how long would it take to get an ambulance to you and then to get you to hospital.. exspecially if you are a high risk preg!
it just isnt not right!

[Fran]

there are ambulance cars travelling to raigmore hospital and back regulary, especially on mondays, wednesdays and Fridays, you could ask your doctor if you could get an ambulance car.
if travelling to inverness and you need an ambulance, there are ambulance stations on route, and some ambulances on the road already returning to their stations. if its a real emergency, the ambulance helicopter can be anywhere on the wick-Inverness road in 10 minutes.