§ Mr. GalbraithTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list for each year since 1981 the number of special care baby cots in the National Health Service.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe information is set out in the table. The decrease in the number of cots is the result of action taken to bring provision into line with actual need.. An expert working group recently estimated that in Scotland as a whole provision still exceeds reasonable requirements. Rates of admission to special neonatal care vary greatly between boards, reaching 35 per cent. or more of all deliveries in some places.
year Number1 1981 622 1982 619 1983 617 1984 603 1985 585 1986 575 1987 563 1988 552 1989 543 1 Average available staffed cots in special care baby units.