Hansard

I thank Gil Paterson for bringing the debate to the chamber. I note from the Official Report that five years ago he secured a similar debate, which recognised a quarter of a century of the Scottish Cot Death Trust. I join all the other members in congratulating the Scottish Cot Death Trust on its 30th anniversary, and acknowledge the important work that its executive director, Lynsay Allan, and its trustees, staff and many volunteers, past and present, have done over the past 30 years to support families who have lost their babies or young children to sudden unexplained death in infancy. I welcome all the points that members have made.

As members have said, any bereavement is traumatic. However, the sudden and unexpected death of a baby has a devastating impact on the family, which is why the support that the trust offers is necessary and greatly appreciated by the bereaved families affected. Interestingly, just last night in this Parliament there was an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Simpson’s Memory Box Appeal. There were some harrowing stories and many tears at that event, which brought home how devastating such a death can be.

As members have mentioned, thankfully recent years have seen a reduction in the number of sudden unexplained deaths in infancy. Until 1991, around 50 babies a year died in Scotland. That has gradually decreased to around 30 babies a year. Clearly even one death is too many, but thankfully the trend is going in the right direction. Figures from National Records of Scotland for 2013 and provisional figures for 2014 show a possible further drop in numbers, which is to be welcomed. Experts believe that the reduction is due to the advice that is given to parents to place babies on their backs to sleep. As Dr Simpson mentioned, that was such a simple message.

Supporting families has been, and still is, a fundamental aspect of the trust’s work. Most recently, it has introduced the Scottish co-ordinator role, which offers assistance to boards in conducting sudden infant death reviews where required, and the next infant support programme, through which the trust offers to work with each SUDI paediatrician in Scotland to ensure that bereaved parents who are expecting a new baby receive extra care and support during the pregnancy, and that those parents are supported after the birth.

The Scottish Cot Death Trust receives section 16(b) funding from the Scottish Government, which was £15,000 in 2014-15 for sleep apnoea monitors. It will receive a total of £120,000 over three years for its support post.

The Scottish Government SUDI group, of which the Scottish Cot Death Trust is an active participant, was established in December 2012. The group was set up to take a fresh look at this important area of work. In particular, it has considered how best to ensure that SUDI reviews are fully completed and it has looked at how to drive improvement locally and nationally.

The SUDI multi-agency toolkit, which is currently hosted by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, provides web-based guidance on the correct procedures in the event of a sudden unexplained death in infancy. That developed a standardised pathway and SUDI review process for all boards to follow when investigating a sudden unexplained death in infancy. The SUDI review process and toolkit have been used since 2011. NHS boards now have full responsibility for undertaking SUDI reviews.

The management of SUDI cases involves not just NHS professionals but professionals from Police Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and, perhaps, the Scottish Ambulance Service. Often, child protection colleagues are also involved. The information-sharing processes between the agencies are critical.

The Scottish Government SUDI group has considered the information that is gathered from the SUDI review process and will consider further data analysis to drive more quality improvements of the process and improve the care and information that are provided to families who have been devastated by tragic losses.