NHS Grampian has apologised to an Elgin mum in the final stages of labour who was "literally chucked out" of Aberdeen Maternity Hospital and told to wait in a hotel car park.

The health board said the treatment of the woman — forced to make the 90 minute journey because of last-minute complications and lack of maternity services in Moray — was “well short of the compassionate care" they aim to provide to patients. 

The mum, who has asked to remain anonymous, described the process as "inhumane."

READ MORE: Dr Gray's £6.6m to recruit consultants for maternity unit

Just days before Alison (not her real name), went into labour with her second child she was taken to hospital to be assessed because of a high heart rate and palpitations.

That saw the medics at Dr Gray's change her from a Green Pathway, meaning she could give birth in Elgin, to a Red Pathway which meant a transfer to Aberdeen so that her heart rate could be monitored.

The Herald:

The birthing unit at the hospital was temporarily downgraded in June 2018 following major staff shortages.

While the change was only supposed to last one year, with the NHS under pressure and facing recruitment problems across the country, services have never been fully restored.

Before the change, 85% of Moray’s babies were born in Dr Gray’s, but since then most have been delivered in Aberdeen.

When Alison's contractions started she phoned Dr Gray's and was told make her way to Aberdeen Maternity Hospital as soon as possible.

She said she was contracting for the entire 90 minute journey.

When Alison was examined in triage at Aberdeen she was told to go home as she was only 2cm dilated.

She was told that “women labour the best at home".

Despite explaining that she was from Elgin and that this was not feasible, and that she had been sent to Aberdeen because she needed to be monitored, she was still made to leave the hospital, with one medic telling her to book a hotel.

She and her husband managed to find a room after a frantic search, however, because it was only noon she was unable to check in, with the hotel saying the room would not be ready until 3pm.

Even then, when the couple asked the hospital if they could stay there for a few more hours they were told no.

“I was then contracting heavily in the hotel car park,” Alison said. “My waters had gone and were leaking everywhere and I was crying my eyes out feeling so scared and uncomfortable.

“I phoned the hospital back around 2pm and explained that the contractions were a lot stronger and closer together and asked if I could come back in but they said they didn't have space for me so I could only come back in at 3pm.”

Despite contracting every two minutes, Alison was forced to wait another hour.

By the time she got back into the hospital and was examined again she was 7-8cm dilated.

Her daughter was born 30 minutes later.

READ MORE: SPECIAL REPORT: Scotland's birth trends - from home deliveries to C-sections

“The whole experience was awful and felt inhumane. I had several panic attacks throughout and afterwards and I still feel panicked when I think about it now.”

“They still made me leave the hospital due to lack of space and made me labour in a car park/hotel so I wasn’t being monitored at all. I would have been safer staying in Elgin.

“I still feel anxious about it, I don’t like thinking about it when it should be a time I look back on with joy and happiness. It felt like a bad dream,” she added.

Alison has called on the hospital to change how it treats mums who come from outside the city.

“The main issue is they treat Moray mums the same as mums who live in Aberdeen or much closer to the hospital.

“They apply the same triage practices and unless you’re in active labour upon arrival they send you home, which is fine if you live nearby but this just isn’t possible for a mum who lives two hours away, as no woman has control over how fast their labour will progress.”

“What woman wants to labour in some random hotel room, hours away from the comfort of their home?” she asked.

“The stress of trying to find an available hotel room and then not being able to check in straight away while having really strong contractions was just awful and this left me labouring in the hotel car park.

“Of course, the main and most obvious solution would be to reinstate the maternity services at Dr Gray's but in the meantime, NHS Grampian need to re-evaluate their triage practices for Moray mums.

“I know they are stretched for space but something needs to be put in place for this so that mums aren’t being literally chucked out of the hospital to fend for themselves during the most vulnerable time of their lives.”

“I could have given birth in a car park as they wouldn’t let me back in. It was very lucky that I made it back into the hospital in time.

READ MORE: Tory leader Douglas Ross reveals emotional drive following pregnant wife's emergency transfer

Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said Alison’s treatment had been an “absolute disgrace.” 

“But sadly far too many Moray mums have their own shocking experiences of labour since our maternity unit was downgraded five years ago.

"It's hard to fully comprehend the fear and distress this woman would have gone through.

"At every point of her recollection travelling to Aberdeen in labour, you think things can't get any worse — and they do, culminating in her waters breaking in the car park as the hospital say they are still too full to take her.

"At the same time, we have so much capacity in Elgin that is not being used.

"Having our second son born in Aberdeen following a transfer from Elgin, I know how worrying that journey is, but the experience of this mum when she got to Aberdeen was just unacceptable.

"Trauma like this could and should be entirely avoided.

"Dr Gray's needs full consultant-led maternity services urgently restored.

"This unnecessary risk to mothers and their babies, travelling back and forth between Moray and Aberdeen or Inverness, must come to an end.

"The SNP Government was responsible for the 'temporary' downgrade five years ago.

"Every family I've spoken to wants our local service reinstated immediately so no one else has to experience what this family have been through."

A spokesperson for NHS Grampian commented: "We are disappointed to hear of the poor birth experience a family has shared with local campaigners and are very keen to reach the family directly so that we can offer a full apology and discuss service improvements.

"This was also raised at this week's Moray Maternity Voices Partnership meeting, where members of the maternity team are always keen to hear feedback from members of the community, including representatives of Keep MUM, and learn from the experiences of local people.

"Details of this birth experience as shared on social media fall well short of the compassionate care we aim to provide all families with."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said:“The Scottish Government is committed to NHS Grampian’s plan to enhance maternity services in the North of Scotland, including the return of consultant-led maternity services to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin.

"That’s why this year we confirmed funding of £6.6m to help restore consultant-led obstetric care at Dr Gray’s Hospital.

“Safe maternity care as close to home as practicable is vital. We recognise the challenges facing remote and rural health boards, and work is ongoing to ensure services are developed in a flexible and sustainable way recognising local population needs and geographic challenges.”