South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has criticised the length of time it’s taken to bring forward improvements to maternity services in Wigtownshire.

The local MSP has said that the option to reintroduce some births at Galloway Community Hospital is a “no brainer” and has hit out at NHS Dumfries and Galloway for holding yet another consultation on the plans, rather than implement the preferred option from an independent review of a return to in-hospital births.

The two options highest scoring options from the review were for the current arrangements to continue, providing only for low-risk home births.

The second option would allow pre-planned births within Galloway Community Hospital, but only for the same relatively small number of low-risk births and with the same level of support provided for home births. This option was the clear preferred way forward in the view of members of the independent review panel who were not aligned to NHS Dumfries and Galloway.

Colin Smyth said: “In 2018, the maternity unit at the Galloway community hospital in Stranraer was shut. We were told that it was a temporary because of a shortage of midwives and since then, women have been forced to travel to Dumfries to give birth in hospital.

“When the review was carried out, we were told extensive engagement would take place and no one has said that didn’t happen.

“Those independent of Dumfries and Galloway NHS have given a clear recommendation that in-hospital births should return to the Galloway Hospital.

“I haven’t spoken to a single person in the community who thinks the status quo of travelling to Dumfries for an in-hospital birth should be the way forward.

“The local NHS should just get on with delivering the preferred option.

“The decision to carry out yet another consultation is just more dithering and delay by the local NHS.

“The review findings have already been bounced to three separate local boards and committees over the past few months and local people would be forgiven for thinking this was deliberate to drag out the process or worse try to stop the preferred option going ahead.

“At this rate we could be looking at more than six years between the temporary halt in services until their reinstatement and even two years alone between the start of the review and the recommendations being implemented and that’s just not good enough.

“I believe there is only one credible option in the review and that’s reintroducing births to the Galloway. More importantly so do the community. It is a no brainer.

“There are Community Maternity Units across the country in areas similar in size and population to Wigtownshire and there is no reason why our area should be treated differently.

“It is utterly unacceptable that women in Wigtownshire face the real fear of having to give birth in a lay-by en route to hospital in Dumfries, which is two hours away, because the community maternity unit on their doorstep is closed.”