Committee
Public Petitions Committee, 17 May 2006
17 May 2006 · S2 · Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
New Petitions
Cranial Abnormalities in Babies (PE960)
Our next petition is PE960, by Claire McCready, which calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to ensure that cranial abnormalities of babies are properly recognised and treated by evaluating babies at birth and at six weeks; that appropriate advice, including repositioning advice, is available to parents; and that cranial remoulding therapy is available free of charge from the national health service.Before being lodged formally, the petition was hosted on the e-petition system where, between 17 March and 28 April, it gathered 1,525 signatures. More than 14,000 signatures were also collected in the normal manner, meaning that the petition received the support of more than 15,000 people.Claire McCready will make a brief statement to the committee in support of her petition. She is accompanied by Mandy Muir. Welcome to the committee. You have a few minutes in which to address the committee, after which we will discuss the subject.
In the same item of business
The Convener:
Lab
Our next petition is PE960, by Claire McCready, which calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to ensure that cranial abnormalities of...
Claire McCready:
Plagiocephaly is a condition that can affect up to 50 per cent of babies under the age of one to some extent. Plagiocephaly causes a baby's head to grow in a...
The Convener:
Lab
Thank you for that detailed introduction. Members will be grateful to know a lot more about the subject than they did before.
Mr Gordon:
Lab
Potentially, I could have experience of the issue as, after an interval of 25 years, I have an infant at home. The issue was drawn to our attention by health...
Claire McCready:
If the condition gets worse, a major operation will be required later in life to correct the deformity, whereas helmet treatment does not involve an operatio...
Mr Gordon:
Lab
How old was your son when he was finally referred to a neurosurgeon?
Claire McCready:
At my own request, Robbie was seen by a neurologist a month ago, when he was 11 months old.
John Scott:
Con
I am very concerned that this condition is growing as a result of the back to sleep campaign, which has been successful in eliminating cot deaths. Have you c...
Claire McCready:
With regard to plagiocephaly and brachycephaly, the most valuable thing for parents is advice on repositioning. Because of difficult births through lack of a...
John Scott:
Con
Which NHS boards in Scotland have funded the treatment?
Claire McCready:
The health board in South Lanarkshire, which covers East Kilbride and Motherwell, funded the treatment twice, and I am 90 per cent sure that the health board...
Rosie Kane:
SSP
That was really interesting. I had never heard about this problem, yet what you are saying seems to be common sense. You spoke about early intervention possi...
Claire McCready:
As you know, all babies have mandatory checks performed on them when they are born and again at six weeks of age. Recently, eight-month check-ups have been d...
Rosie Kane:
SSP
Given that, as you said, the moulding process happens very early, from birth or even before birth, do you envisage educating women during pregnancy? As I sai...
Claire McCready:
Totally—100 per cent. We need to work alongside the Scottish Cot Death Trust—sometimes known as SIDS—on the problem. I spoke on the phone to some members of ...
Rosie Kane:
SSP
I want to ask about the treatment with the helmet that you have described. For how long is it required, and at what point? Is it specially moulded for the ch...
Claire McCready:
Yes. Each helmet is made specially. Every child has a different shape of head. No two babies will have the same shape of head, whether or not they have plagi...
Mandy Muir:
We travelled down to Leeds for a scan for Annabel, who is 11 months old.
Claire McCready:
Thirdly, there is a moulding process. I do not have experience of it, but that is used by another supplier down in London. The supplier I use treats babies o...
Mandy Muir:
Annabel's helmet was fitted when she was eight months old, so she is classed as an older baby. At the start of the treatment her head was 15mm misaligned. Sh...
Claire McCready:
Robbie was an older child, too. He was more than nine months old when his helmet was fitted. His head was 15mm misaligned, which meant that one side of his f...
Ms White:
SNP
The costs seem to be high, especially if you have to travel to London. I have a constituency case in which the person paid £1,850 for a helmet as well as hav...
Claire McCready:
Yes. Obviously, checks must also be carried out, because parents might read the information but not adhere to the guidance. The Scottish Cot Death Trust coul...
Ms White:
SNP
I wrote to Lewis Macdonald about the matter. Five children have been fitted with helmets at Yorkhill hospital. NHS Lanarkshire paid for treatment for two chi...
Mandy Muir:
Yes. I had to fundraise for the treatment. Annabel was diagnosed with plagiocephaly when she was about five months old and it took us three months to raise t...
Claire McCready:
We had to fundraise, too. Because Robbie was older we booked the treatment and went down to London—we knew we would have to find the money later. Thankfully ...
Ms White:
SNP
You are saying that if proper antenatal advice and checks were given, you would not have had to go through the distress that you have gone through and paid t...
Claire McCready:
I would not have had to go through the majority of it. It cannot be avoided if babies are born with it, and repositioning might not fix that. For other babie...
Mandy Muir:
The condition was antenatal with my daughter Annabel. She was a breech baby and faced my spine, so her head was stuck under my ribs and it was a bit flat whe...
Ms White:
SNP
If you have other children, they will also have been involved.