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Elizabeth Crammond: Improving Women’s Healthcare in Scotland – A Call for Safer, Integrated Care
Aug 7, 2026, 15:12

Elizabeth Crammond: Improving Women’s Healthcare in Scotland – A Call for Safer, Integrated Care

Elizabeth Crammond, Quality Professional at Primary Goal, shared on LinkedIn:

“I am pleased to share that my petition to Improve Gynaecology, Fertility, Early Pregnancy and Maternity Care in Scotland has now progressed to formal consideration by the Scottish Parliament.

This petition addresses a significant and long‑standing challenge: the fragmentation of women’s healthcare pathways across Scotland. The current model – particularly the removal of GP involvement in early pregnancy care and reliance on self‑referral systems – has created structural gaps that expose women to avoidable risk, inconsistent access, and delays in clinical decision‑making.

In preparing this petition, I have considered the extensive learning emerging from recent independent maternity reviews undertaken in England.

These reviews identified recurring systemic issues including:

  • Weak escalation routes
  • Inconsistent triage and risk recognition
  • Fragmented service structures
  • Gaps in communication and clinical governance

They also emphasised the importance of continuity, integrated pathways, early intervention, and robust oversight. England has already begun implementing national changes in response to these findings. Scotland has not yet undertaken an equivalent, comprehensive, system‑wide review – leaving a governance gap that the petition seeks to address.

The petition proposes a modernised, integrated pathway that brings together gynaecology, fertility, early pregnancy and maternity care.

The petition invites the Scottish Government to:

  • Reinstate a clear duty of care for GPs, ensuring continuity and coordinated transition between services
  • Introduce reactive auditing and triage mechanisms to identify risk early and reduce delays
  • Establish nationally consistent standards across all health boards
  • Strengthen communication, escalation routes and clinical governance across the reproductive‑health pathway
  • Ensure equitable access to care regardless of postcode or health‑board boundaries

The aim is to align Scotland’s approach with wider UK learning on maternity safety -creating a safer, more consistent system that supports women throughout their reproductive health journey, reduces preventable harm, and strengthens public trust in healthcare.

The petition can be accessed here.

I encourage everyone to please review, if possible sign and share. Everyone is entitled to their voices being heard, and I call on everyone, including those in healthcare, policy, governance, and quality assurance, to review the submission and contribute to this important discussion.

Improving women’s health services is not only a clinical priority – it is a matter of system integrity, equity, and human rights.

To anyone who has suffered a loss, suffered through conditions seen and unseen, or who is navigating the system – I am with you.

Thank you
Elizabeth Crammond (Mother).”

Stay informed with the latest updates in fertility and reproductive medicine on Fertility News.