Report highlights ‘poor state of economic, social and cultural rights in Highlands and Islands’

Too many people in the Highlands and Islands lack access to “the basic necessities for everyday life”, according to a major new human rights report.

The study by the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) was based on 146 interviews conducted in 20 communities, including Caithness.

It identified healthcare issues and a range of other needs and made recommendations to ensure human rights obligations are met.

The report – Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Highlands and Islands – runs to more than 130 pages.

Professor Angela O’Hagan, chair of the SHRC, said: “The committee is deeply concerned about the poor state of economic, social and cultural rights in the Highlands and Islands.

“Too many people in the Highlands and Islands are hungry and homeless without access to healthcare and basic amenities for daily living.

“With this work, we are testing a new way of monitoring – one that brings the commission closer to communities and amplifies their voices and struggles.

“As we continue to develop this way of working, we expect that all duty bearers will carefully consider the evidence in this report and the action now required of them to meet their human rights obligations.”

The report shows mothers in Caithness and Sutherland feel ‘unsafe’ and ‘terrified’ when traveling to Inverness to give birth. It was also pointed out that the centralization of services had resulted in more than 14,000 patients from the Far North traveling to Inverness for healthcare each year.

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Mothers in the Far North are ‘terrified’ of traveling to Inverness, according to the human rights report

The report states: “Of particular importance is the provision of maternity and gynecological services in Caithness and Sutherland.

“In 2016 it was decided to do this reduce maternity facilities at Wick Hospitalrequiring women to travel to Inverness for care.

“This raised concerns about the centralization of healthcare services to Inverness, meaning that over 14,000 patients a year now have to travel there for routine, emergent and acute cases, without patient safety risk assessments.

“The current situation requires pregnant women to travel up to four hours to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, often relying on public transport when private transport is not available. For those in most parts of Sutherland, there is no public transport available.

“Women interviewed by human rights defenders reported feeling unsafe and terrified by the journey due to night travel, the possibility of giving birth en route, adverse weather conditions and the presence of deer on the roads.

“As a result, some women are choosing to stop having children or move out of the area to avoid giving birth in Raigmore. In addition, in cases of premature birth, mothers are sometimes sent to Aberdeen, Glasgow or Edinburgh because Inverness does not have enough beds.

“According to testimonies, some women have lost their fertility due to delays in emergency access to Raigmore Hospital, with reported cases of ovarian torsion and bleeding.

“Human rights advocates in Caithness have pointed to the midwife-led maternity care model used in Orkney, where 80 per cent of patients give birth with a midwife, and have questioned why NHS Highland cannot implement a similar model in their area.

“The centralization has also meant that babies needing treatment for conditions such as jaundice now have to travel to Inverness. Other services, including blood diagnostics, hip checks and hearing tests for babies, are no longer offered in Wick and should be accessible in Inverness.

The report adds: “Many people have expressed frustration to the committee that they did not feel heard by authorities and that their dignity was not respected in the provision of healthcare services.

“These concerns were particularly evident among women in Caithness and Sutherland, where there is a lack of adequate support for maternity and gynecology services.”

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