Blairgowrie Mum fights Ninewells downgrading of neonatal care units

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]Everything was great, perfect. She was born. She cried like any normal baby.

[00:00:06]And they went to go and put her on my chest and she crashed.

[00:00:11]>> At just a few hours old, Grace suffered seizures and a stroke. Mom Lauren credits the neonatal intensive care team at Nine Wells Hospital in Dundee for saving her daughter's life. When everything is going so perfect and then they are critically ill within the matter of a second and you're relying on all these people to save your baby's life and you're going through so many emotions of shock, you're scared, you're frightened.

[00:00:41]>> By the end of the year, the Scottish government planned to downgrade Nick Q at 9 Wells along with four other units and centralized services in Aberdine, Glasgow and Edinburgh. I just honestly could not imagine I've been further away like the strain that would have put on myself, my husband, our boys. It it would have been really difficult to manage. And to me, a teaching hospital should have the highest level that they can provide for their medical staff to learn. And you're taking away that opportunity. The Scottish government say going from eight units to three will offer the best care to the sickest babies.

[00:01:24]>> It is a very difficult start for the babies and it's a difficult start for all of their relatives if they are geographically distant. This wouldn't be done lightly though. This is absolutely about ensuring that these babies have the best possible chance of survival and the clinical evidence is incontrovertible. these sickest babies should have the best possible care, but the families shouldn't be having to travel great lengths to receive that care. They should be able to access that closer to home and they have that care in place at the moment. And so, it's these changes that are going to be putting these vulnerable children, these moms that have come through a huge amount and and and wider family through a lot.

[00:02:04]>> Grace is now home and doing well. Her family are grateful she's here and hope the unit that saved Grace can now also be saved for other families facing the strain of having an ill baby. Lyn Rankin, STV News.