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Becoming a mum should be a time when women feel they are in a safe and caring environment . And across Scotland, NHS midwives go the extra mile every day to make sure women get the best care. But a report published yesterday by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) has highlighted major concerns about the care of patients at the maternity unit at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. According to the scathing findings , staff had an “overwhelming feeling of helplessness, frustration and worry for not only patient but staff safety”. Inspectors found some women waiting for labour to be induced had experienced delays of more than 24 hours. Health Secretary Neil Gray yesterday promised to take immediate action in light of the report. And in doing so he revealed a family trauma, telling MSPs how his wife nearly died during pregnancy after “inaccurate assessments” were carried out. Gray said he would bring in a higher level of support and oversight for -maternity services within NHS Lothian . He also promised a nationwide - maternity task force would listen -carefully to the experiences of women. NHS staff , too often ignored or bullied into silence, will also be given the right to have their say. Gray’s highly personal response and desire for change is to be welcomed – and the whole country is behind him in striving for improvements to this most vital of NHS services. Today we report how a feminist campaigner was ordered to accept an official police warning over a trans activist’s broken brolly. Susan Smith, a staunch defender of women’s rights, played a key role in persuading the UK Supreme Court to unanimously back the argument that the legal definition of a woman should be based on biological sex. But the For Women Scotland founder now finds herself facing criminal charges if she refuses a police warning after an exchange with counter-protester Tom Harlow at a rally at Holyrood last month. The Supreme Court’s ruling in April should be making way for a reasonable discussion – free of witch hunts and abuse – on how women’s rights can be protected , while also recognising the needs of trans people. But the highly divisive issue has been thrown into chaos once again after a debacle over a brolly. The decision to issue an official warning over such a trivial matter can only serve to deepen the divide. Surely at a time when the police force is facing so may issues of its own, time and resources can be better spent by putting “brollygate” to bed.
