Current status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 28 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Sands report, Lost in the system: Bereaved parents experiences of mental health care following baby loss, which found that only 8% of bereaved parents in Scotland felt they received the specialist mental health support they wanted through the NHS.
The loss of a baby, no matter at what stage of pregnancy, is a traumatic event that can have a profound impact on families. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that families who have experienced a pregnancy or baby loss receive the right information, care and support tailored to their individual circumstances. This includes high quality, sensitive bereavement care and support.
For most parents who have suffered a pregnancy loss, bereavement and grief support provided by their Health Board or third sector organisations will meet their needs and they will not require specialist mental health services.
A small number of parents experience more complicated grief and may benefit from engagement with specialist mental health services. If a parent is identified as requiring Maternity and Neonatal Psychological Intervention (MNPI) services in Scotland after the loss of their baby, they would typically be referred by their midwife, GP or other healthcare professional.
The way in which MNPI services are provided will differ across Boards, depending on population size and birth rate but we expect those who need the services to be able to access them in all areas of Scotland. All NHS Boards now provide these services either from a dedicated local team or, for very small Board areas, via pathways to MNPI care in larger Boards that host the maternity hospitals where the patient is receiving inpatient care.