The Moray Maternity Service Liaison Committee (MMSLC) is a multi-disciplinary forum which brings together professionals and service users to ensure the best possible maternity care for the women of Moray.  The MMSLC was formed in May 1993 following the CRAG/SCOTMEG* Working Group on Maternity Services Report.  The Report recommended the establishment of statutory maternity service liaison committees throughout Scotland to promote cooperation between professionals and consumers at a local level and support the delivery of services that would reflect the needs of women and families.  In Moray, the establishment of a maternity service liaison committee followed on from the successful public campaign for a specialist Maternity Unit for Moray (MUM) which ran from 1988-1995.  Therefore it was one of the first – and arguably one of the most active – committees in Scotland, charged with a broad remit to consider the development of the service at a time when the long-awaited specialist maternity unit was under construction at Dr. Gray’s Hospital, an Elgin landmark originally built in 1821.

If you would like for information about the History of the Dr Grays Maternity Unit, please click here.

The MMSLC involves parents who have used the Moray maternity service through qualitative research, participation in focus groups and representation on the Committee. Information gathered from these initiatives is a vital resource for policy makers and service providers and also presents an opportunity to improve methods of involvement in future.  The NHS Quality Improvement Scotland Clinical Standards for Maternity Services, published in 2005, stipulated that Health Boards should demonstrate “evidence of a range of public involvement activities in the planning of maternity services”.  Publicising the work of the MMSLC in the local press has helped to keep people informed about the work of the Committee and developments in the service.

Issues that have been prominent on the agenda are breastfeeding support, accessible and high quality antenatal education, enhancement of the community midwifery service, the use of innovative technology to reach consumers, and multi-disciplinary care for vulnerable service users. A key issue for the Committee is helping to ensure the sustainability of the specialist maternity service at a time when births are increasing in Moray and staffing levels are severely stretched. A survey conducted by the Committee in 2008 demonstrated the importance of the specialist maternity service to the whole community. Good working relations between service professionals and lay representatives have been the foundation of the MMSLC and will ensure that the Committee is well-positioned to face the challenges of 2010.

For more information and development of the Moray Maternity Services Liaison Committee and the Maternity Unit, click on one of the links below:

• Constitution and Remit
• MUM Report – 20 years on
• Rocking the Boat (Digital story)

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