A9 toilet map ‘to help ensure comfort and convenience’ for Caithness mums-to-be
NHS Highland has acknowledged that mums and mums-to-be from the far north may require frequent toilet stops on trips to and from Inverness – so has come up with an at-a-glance list of lavatories that are available along the route.
The online Toilet Stop Map has been designed primarily “to help ensure comfort and convenience” for pregnant women travelling between Caithness and Raigmore, using Google Maps to highlight participating loos alongside the A9. However it may be of use more widely.
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Toilets highlighed include facilities in hotels and hospitals as well as public conveniences in towns and villages.
The consultant-led maternity unit at Caithness General Hospital was downgraded in 2016 to a midwife-led facility and the vast majority of women from the far north now give birth at Raigmore.
Karen Mackay, infant feeding lead at NHS Highland, worked with more than 30 businesses, police stations and fire stations to put together the Toilet Stop Map.
She said: “We all understand the difficulties that pregnant women can face during long journeys, especially when frequent stops are necessary. This map is designed to provide reassurance and support, ensuring that expectant mothers have access to as many facilities as possible.
“We want to make things as comfortable and be as supportive as we can and this is just one easy way we thought we could help.
“We’re incredibly grateful to all the businesses and emergency services that have come together to make this possible. We are delighted with the level of support we received from the community and people were really eager to participate to help ease the journey for expectant families.”
Gill Valentine, associate director of midwifery for NHS Highland (Highland Council area), said: “We are committed to providing high-quality healthcare services to communities across the Highland area. There is no doubt that there are geographic challenges, as there have always been, but this initiative is just one example of where we can use modern technology to make things a little bit easier.”
She said the map had been viewed more than 1000 times so far and other health boards in Scotland were being inspired to introduce similar schemes.
