Maternity services at small island hospital praised

The standard of maternity care provided at Orkney's Balfour hospital has been praised by inspectors.

A Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) report said there were 100 local births recorded in 2025.

Twelve strengths at the Balfour were highlighted, including the fact that staff provided "compassionate" and family-focused care.

Areas for improvement included supporting staff with protected time for training, and ensuring a timely review of any adverse events.

The Balfour is a small rural hospital in Kirkwall with 48 beds.

The unannounced HIS visit was carried out in March.

The 100 births in 2025 were down from 145 in 2020.

Any urgent transfers to mainland Scotland are carried out by air, determined by the availability of aircraft, crew and weather conditions.

Transfers rose from 45 in 2020 to 54 in 2025.

The Balfour's maternity ward was said to be clean, organised and maintained to a high standard.

"Throughout our inspection we observed staff providing person-centred, compassionate and responsive care to women and their families," HIS chief inspector Donna Maclean said.

The report added: "Good teamwork was evident throughout the inspection between obstetricians, midwives and the health care support team. The senior midwifery and senior obstetric leadership teams were visible with respectful, friendly and supportive interactions observed.

"Staff described being supported by senior managers and felt able to raise concerns."

The health board welcomed the inspection report, and said recommended improvements would be acted on.

NHS Orkney said it accepted the findings, and had already developed a comprehensive improvement action plan.

Sam Thomas, executive director of nursing and midwifery, added: "Our priority now is to build on the strong foundations identified in this report while implementing sustainable improvements that will further strengthen safety, governance and staff support.

"I must highlight the dedication and compassion the maternity team show to our patients and their families every single day."