Committee
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 14 December 2021
14 Dec 2021 · S6 · Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Item of business
Perinatal Mental Health
You are absolutely right to highlight that baby loss impacts not just the mum but the father. I said clearly that we talk about family-centred care, so I include the father and, in fact, the entire extended family. You will be aware that, before I came into politics, I was an antenatal teacher. I talked a lot about how babies are sometimes born in a medical event, but they are always born in a social event—they are always born into a community and family, and the whole family and community need support when things go wrong. You are right that pregnancy is an uncertain time and that sometimes things do not go as expected. Since 2017, we have provided more than £16 million in funding to support the implementation of “The Best Start: A Five-Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland”, which we think is the solution to many of the challenges and traumas that people face during pregnancy. That five-year plan was published in 2017 and, as I said, it remains a firm programme for government commitment. Person-centred high-quality care for mums and babies throughout pregnancy and birth, and following birth, can have a marked effect on the life chances of women and babies and families, and on the healthy development of the child throughout their life. We are aiming for gold-standard care. We want truly family-centred care that will maximise the opportunities to establish building blocks for strong family relationships and for confident and capable parenting. One cornerstone of that type of care is the continuity of carer. There has been a lot of discussion on that with regard to baby loss. Continuity of carer has a significant impact on, and makes a difference to, the experience of people and families who have lost a baby. We are continuing to introduce continuity of carer in maternity services. That is the care that midwives have told us they want to deliver—the type of care that they want to be involved in—but it is also the care that women have told us they want to receive. They want to build a relationship with a midwife, not just through their pregnancy, birth and beyond, but in subsequent pregnancies. Where there has been loss or trauma in one pregnancy, continuity of carer becomes absolutely vital in subsequent pregnancies.
In the same item of business
The Convener
SNP
Our second item today is an evidence session with the Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing and the Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport, ...
The Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care (Kevin Stewart)
SNP
Would it be appropriate to make some opening remarks before answering your question, convener?
The Convener
SNP
That is fine. I am sorry—I did not realise that you had opening remarks to make. Carry on.
Kevin Stewart
SNP
Thank you, convener. I welcome the opportunity for my colleague Maree Todd, Hugh Masters and I to assist the committee with the inquiry into perinatal menta...
The Convener
SNP
We have spoken to parents, and something that has come up in those conversations—and which you alluded to—is inconsistency around the country. You have just ...
Kevin Stewart
SNP
Your question covers a number of issues. When I came into post and started looking at the matter—I looked at it as a constituency member, too—I saw quite cle...
The Convener
SNP
I see that Hugh Masters wants to add to what you have said, minister.
Hugh Masters (Scottish Government)
Perhaps I can make a few comments about the work of the programme board. It is absolutely right to say that one of the key drivers—this came from the matern...
The Convener
SNP
Thank you. I will hand over to my colleagues, who will get into the detail. I suggest that some questions will be more appropriate for Maree Todd, so they sh...
Sue Webber (Lothian) (Con)
Con
I suppose that the witnesses—Inaudible.—very upsetting—Inaudible.—many of us. We heard of quite varying—Inaudible.—in terms of how the services are set up fo...
The Convener
SNP
Your sound was a little bit patchy, but I imagine that the question, which is about consistency of approach across the country for families and parents who h...
The Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport (Maree Todd)
SNP
Thank you. I apologise—Sue Webber’s sound was a little glitchy at my end. The first thing to say is that the Scottish Government recognises the impact of ba...
Sue Webber
Con
Is the sound better now?
The Convener
SNP
It is a lot better.
Sue Webber
Con
Cat Berry, who was one of the witnesses at last week’s meeting, suggested that the timescales for implementation of the specialist baby loss units can and sh...
Maree Todd
SNP
I recognise the urgency of working on that and that, for every individual who is affected by baby loss it is an absolute trauma. We want to get it right for ...
Sue Webber
Con
You spoke a lot about women there, but there are also fathers to consider. Another message that has come out in the evidence is that it should be ensured tha...
Maree Todd
SNP
You are absolutely right to highlight that baby loss impacts not just the mum but the father. I said clearly that we talk about family-centred care, so I inc...
Sue Webber
Con
That is great—thanks.
The Convener
SNP
We will move on to the theme of care pathways. Paul O’Kane has questions on that.
Paul O’Kane (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Last week, we heard a lot of important evidence and, as Sue Webber said, it was quite emotional at points. We heard about the planned development of speciali...
Maree Todd
SNP
I will bring in Kirstie Campbell to give you the most up-to-date picture of delivery across the country. Kirstie, can you give information on where we are at...
Kirstie Campbell (Scottish Government)
I am happy to do that. The minister has outlined the work that we are doing on the national bereavement care pathway to support women who have experienced a...
Paul O’Kane
Lab
If the minister could write to the committee with the specific percentages that I asked for, that would be helpful, just so that we can have that empirical d...
Maree Todd
SNP
The best start approach equips midwives with the skills to care for women with socially complex needs and their babies. The midwives have reduced case loads,...
Kevin Stewart
SNP
The perinatal mental health clinical network has set out a series of five national pathways, which cover pre-conception advice, psychological support for mil...
The Convener
SNP
Thank you. Does Paul O’Kane have another question?
Paul O’Kane
Lab
No, convener—that was most helpful.
The Convener
SNP
We will move on to Stephanie Callaghan, who has questions on access to services.
Stephanie Callaghan (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP)
SNP
I thank the panel members for being here. It was reassuring to hear the cabinet secretary set out such a clear commitment and focus on taking women’s lived e...