Thousands sign petition to stop downgrade of Wishaw Neonatal Unit
Under the plans by the Scottish Government, babies requiring intensive care could be moved to special units in Aberdeen, Edinburgh or Glasgow
More than 10,000 people are backing a petition by a concerned mum to stop the neonatal unit at University Hospital Wishaw from being downgraded.
It is part of plans by the Scottish Government to restructure intensive care for babies - but it means some newborns would be moved to units in Edinburgh, Glasgow or Aberdeen.
Lynne McRitchie is campaigning to stop the ward from dropping from level 3 to level 2 service provision after giving birth to her baby boy, Innes, at just 23 weeks.
The Scottish Government's five-year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Services report recommends the delivery be redesigned to accommodate the current levels of demand, with a smaller number of intensive care neonatal units, supported by local hospitals.
'The thought is terrifying'
But Lynne, from East Kilbride, worries the move will "tear families apart".
She said: "The thought, for us as a family, of potentially Innes being transferred to best-case scenario, Glasgow, is terrifying.
"He was 1lb5 and I really believe that if he had been transferred, there's no way he would have survived that journey.
"I was diagnosed, as many parents are, with PTSD around Innes' birth and the trauma around that.
"What's really lovely is that in his follow-up appointments, we know the staff, the hospital, and they know us and our journey - you won't get that in these 'super units'.
'You already feel like you've failed them'
"By delivering a baby so early, or who's ill, you already feel like you've failed them.
"If you're then leaving to travel miles and miles, it's the hardest thing to do. You're caught in the guilt of leaving your tiny wee one, but you might also have kids at home who need you. You can't be in two places at once.
"We're talking about parents and babies who are at their most vulnerable and that can't be measured with numbers - this is about humans, feelings and emotions.
"But we're also talking about life or death - if there's no capacity for them to come into intensive care it's literally going to cost lives.
"I think this will literally tear families about, physically and mentally. They're not going to have their circle of support nearby and their mental health will deteriorate."
'Extremely disappointed'
Judith Park, NHS Lanarkshire director of acute services, said: “While we are extremely disappointed that Lanarkshire will not be one of the specialist intensive care neonatal units, we accept the recommendations of the Best Start report for a new model of neonatal intensive care.
"We will work alongside Scottish Government, staff within our neonatal unit at University Hospital Wishaw and the local population on the next steps following this announcement.
“Our dedicated staff will remain committed to providing the highest standard of neonatal care to babies and families in Lanarkshire.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "No neonatal units are closing as part of these plans. Local neonatal units, including Wishaw, will continue to provide care to the vast majority of local babies who need it.
"The decision to move to three national Neonatal Intensive Care Units has been made in line with strong evidence and advice from expert clinicians that specialist care will improve health outcomes and save lives. These three units will offer specialist and complex care in fewer centres for the most pre-term and sickest babies.”