Supporting over half a million families

More than 600,000 babies have been born in an NHS Scotland hospital over the past decade.

The latest figures from ISD Scotland show there were 616,448 births in hospitals between 2008-2018.

This year the Scottish Government announced a range of support for new mothers and their families. This includes more than £50 million to improve access to mental health support for expectant and new mothers, and £12 million to transform maternity and neonatal services across Scotland.

Minister for Public Health Joe FitzPatrick said:

"I’d like to thank all our hard-working, dedicated NHS Scotland staff who have supported the arrival of so many babies over the past decade.

“Our priority is to continue driving up standards of maternity and neonatal care for families right across Scotland.

"We know that mental health problems during pregnancy and the first year after birth can be common, affecting up to one in five women, which is 11,000 a year. The £50 million announced in 2019 to support perinatal and infant mental health will help improve the recognition and treatment of mental health problems and promote positive wellbeing.

“We are also investing significantly in community maternity services right through to the care for the most premature babies, where we know outcomes are improved when they are in a unit with a higher throughput of cases and where support services, such as surgery, are nearby.

“These actions will ensure mums, babies and other family members are all supported from pregnancy to birth and after.”

Background

ISD Births in Scottish Hospitals data.

In March the First Minster announced £50 million for improving access to mental health services for expectant and new mothers.