Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 19 March 2026 [Draft]
19 Mar 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
General Question Time
Neonatal Intensive Care Units
For the sickest and most pre-term babies, the Government seeks to centralise care to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Meeting minutes that have been uncovered tell us that NHS Grampian does not have the cots or the staff. There are serious worries about ambulance cover, which is already a massive issue in the north of Scotland. One of the First Minister’s staff even said that they thought that downgrading Ninewells could have a deeply inhumane impact on mums travelling long distances. At its last meeting, the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee advised ministers to stop downgrading Ninewells until outstanding transport capacity and finance questions have been answered. What is the Government’s response to that?
In the same item of business
3. Douglas Lumsden (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with national health service boards regarding the 2017 best start plan to downgrade the number of ...
The Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health (Jenni Minto)
SNP
There have been extensive discussions with NHS boards about plans to improve care for the smallest and sickest babies by implementing the new model of neonat...
Douglas Lumsden
Con
For the sickest and most pre-term babies, the Government seeks to centralise care to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Meeting minutes that have been uncovere...
Jenni Minto
SNP
I need to be clear that the decision has been made, through expert advice, to ensure that the smallest and sickest babies get the best support and healthcare...
Clare Adamson (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)
SNP
There has, rightly, been local concern about the plans, but can the minister again reassure my constituents that, of the 55 or so neonatal babies that are ca...
Jenni Minto
SNP
I thank Clare Adamson for her follow-up question. I absolutely agree that the decision is based on strong clinical evidence about the outcomes for the smalle...