Overworked maternity and midwifery nurses in Dumfries and Galloway need support urgently, South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has said, as Scottish Labour reveals that the amount of overtime hours being worked has soared.

Statistics obtained by Scottish Labour by FOI have shown that in 2022/23 a staggering 1,292 hours of overtime were worked by staff in maternity and midwifery units in NHS Dumfries and Galloway.

This figure has soared by 105 per cent since before the pandemic.

This comes as the NHS remains in the grips of a workforce crisis – with NHS staff having to plug staffing gaps through overtime.

Scottish Labour is calling on the SNP government to act to tackle staffing issues in maternity and midwifery units before overworked staff burn out.

Colin Smyth said: “NHS staff are working tirelessly day in and day out to provide the level of care that people in Dumfries and Galloway deserve.

“The truth is that local midwifery and maternity unit workers are being worked into the ground to care for patients and plug staffing gaps caused by Scottish Government mismanagement.

“If this situation is allowed to continue, we risk seeing staff burnout and poorer services for NHS patients.

“Enough is enough – it’s time for the SNP government to wake up and act before this crisis gets worse.”

The challenges the region faces recruiting enough mid maternity and midwifery nurses has been highlighted by the current closure of the birthing centre at the Galloway Hospital in Stranraer. The unit was closed on a “temporary” basis in 2008 leaving expectant mothers having to travel to Dumfries about 70 miles away. The local health and social care partnership are currently consulting on plans for a partial re-opening following an independent review of the provision in the area.