A PREGNANT woman faced delays for an emergency C-section to deliver her seriously ill twins because of a shortage of intensive care cots at two hospitals.

The woman, who is in her 20s, was admitted to three hospitals in 24 hours because there were no free incubators.

According to a family source, she was told by doctors at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital on Thursday afternoon that her babies would have to be delivered prematurely because one of the twins was not getting enough blood and oxygen.

However, the birth was later cancelled because there were no free neonatal cots in Glasgow.

At around 4.45pm she was transferred to Wishaw General Hospital in Lanarkshire after being told there was two incubators available.

A source said:  “She was prepared and fasted and then at 9am on Friday another surgeon came in and said she couldn’t have those cots because they were booked for another woman.

"She was told she would need to go to Edinburgh and that if there were no cots there she might have to be transferred down south.

“It’s a disgrace.”

The woman is is being treated at Edinburgh Royal Infimary.

A spokeswoman for NHSGGC said: “We cannot comment on individual cases, however if there is a risk to the baby and a neonatal cot is not available at the local hospital, the national practise is to transfer the pregnant woman to another hospital that does have a free neonatal cot.

“It is much safer to transfer a woman with a baby in the womb than allow her to give birth and then need to transfer the mother and baby. 
“In the case of twins there would a requirement for two cots to be available.

An NHS Lanarkshire spokesman said: “Health Boards work together as part of a Neonatal Managed Clinical Network and policies and procedures are in place to deal with such situations.

"As soon as a neonatal cot becomes available, transfer back to their local unit is arranged.”