Elgin’s Dr Gray’s Hospital will have caesarean births take place again
More families in the north-east will have the option to welcome their babies into the world at Dr Gray’s Hospital with planned caesarean births set to take place in Elgin again.
Maternity teams in Moray have been given the green light to start planning with parents from this week onwards.
It is expected the first births will likely take place in the next few weeks.
This marks a major milestone in the return of enhanced maternity services to Dr Gray’s and is happening months ahead of schedule, thanks to dedicated staff planning, training and recruitment efforts.
Jane Gill, programme director for the NHS Grampian and NHS Highland Maternity Collaborative, said: “This is an exciting step forward, and one that reflects the years of work the teams across Moray, Grampian and Highland have put into strengthening maternity services in Elgin.
“To safely reintroduce planned c-sections, we’ve built up obstetric, paediatric, anaesthetic, neonatal, and midwifery support – all essential to providing high-quality, sustainable care for Moray families.
“Women who meet the criteria for a planned c-section at Dr Gray’s can now explore this option with their midwife.
“The team is working with local families to identify suitable dates, ensuring personalised support for each birth.
“For those requiring more complex care, Aberdeen will remain the recommended option, as has always been the case.
“The reintroduction of planned c-sections is an important step and we continue to work closely with colleagues in Aberdeen, Inverness and beyond to support families choosing to give birth at Dr Gray’s.”
Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Dr Gray’s, Dr Mandy Hunter, said: “Our whole team are really pleased to be able to offer elective caesarean births in Dr Gray's again. It’s a big step towards restoration of a full obstetric service.
“It’ll make a real difference to local women and families, and I'm sure all our staff who’ve been preparing and training together will be almost as excited as the parents are to welcome more births here.
“Any expectant mums who have questions about what this means for their individual circumstances should have a chat with their midwife or consultant in the first instance to work out their best options together.”
Louise Pearson, acting hospital general manager for Dr Gray’s, said: “This milestone doesn’t just represent a new phase for maternity services – it’s a major step forward for Dr Gray’s Hospital and Moray as a whole.
“It’s incredibly exciting to be supporting this next stage. Our priority is making sure families in Moray feel informed, safe and supported.
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“We’re all looking forward to welcoming the first new arrivals over the next few weeks.”
Jane Gill also confirmed that, following this milestone, the team has already switched its focus to the recruitment and other work required to bring about the gradual reintroduction of a fully modernised, consultant-led maternity service at Dr Gray’s Hospital – due to be delivered by the end of 2026.
The latest phase of Moray's dedicated Wish You Worked Here recruitment campaign launched at the end of March, drawing tens of thousands of views from potential applicants in its first week alone from across the UK and beyond.
This, the third phase of the campaign, focuses on attracting obstetricians, anaesthetists, paediatricians and theatre staff to support the next stage of Moray’s new maternity service.
MSP Richard Lochhead said: “I’m delighted that plans for the return of planned caesarean sections at Dr Gray’s have now been given the green light and know this news will be welcomed by women and families in Moray.
“The return of this service to Elgin is a big step forward and a real milestone in the work to restore Moray’s consultant-led maternity service.
“Of course, importantly this will allow more women in Moray to choose to deliver their babies at Dr Gray’s and it is exciting that we’ll once again see babies delivered by elective c-section in Elgin in the coming weeks.
“Hopefully the positive momentum continues as NHS Grampian moves onto the next stages of the plan to restore the full consultant-led service, and I will of course continue to do what I can as local MSP to support efforts to get us there.”
Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross said: “This marks a major step forward for Moray mums-to-be.
“For too long they have even been denied the option of a planned c-section at Dr Gray’s so I welcome this announcement.
“It is an issue I have repeatedly raised with successive health secretaries, during debates and questions in parliament.
“It was always crucial that these planned births were given the green light again ahead of consultant-led maternity services being restored in full in Moray.
“This is a victory for the tireless campaigning by KeepMum and others. There now must be no let-up in restoring consultant-led services at Dr Gray’s as quickly as possible.
“A temporary downgrade has been in place for seven years and I know from my own experience how that has affected Moray’s would-be mums both physically and mentally.
“I will be continuing to push Neil Gray, the health secretary at every opportunity in parliament to guarantee cash-strapped NHS Grampian has the resources to build on this announcement and restore consultant-led maternity services in Moray.”
