§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what provision he has made to help those who have suffered miscarriage;
(2) whether he will provide guidance on best practice for hospitals to help those suffering a miscarriage or recurrent miscarriage.
§ Mr. Stewart[holding answer 14 June 1993]: Grant aid is provided towards the core costs of the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (SANDS) and also to assist it to develop a self-help network providing support to bereaved parents, their families and friends.
The SANDS publication "Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death. Guidelines for Professionals"; the Scottish Health Service Advisory Council report "Everybody's Death Should Matter to Somebody; the Care of the Dying in Scotland" and the Department of Health publication "Welfare of Children and Young People in Hospital", all of which include good practice guidance for the care of those who have suffered a miscarriage, were issued to health boards and health and social care professionals during 1991. Guidance leaflets published by the Miscarriage Association and Support After Termination for Abnormality (SATFA) have also been recommended for use by NHS professional staff.
Counselling of bereaved parents or families is, of course, included in the curriculum for medical and nursing education.
§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of pregnancies end in miscarriage; and what is the ratio of miscarriages to live births in(a) Scotland as a whole and (b) each of the health board areas.
§ Mr. Stewart[holding answer 14 June 1993]: The information for known pregnancies in 1991, the latest year for which figures are available, is as follows:
545W
Health board of residence All pregnancies1 Spontaneous abortions (miscarriage) Per cent. Ratio spontaneous losses: live births Resident elsewhere but miscarried in Scotland 119 119 — — SCOTLAND 88.926 10,487 11.8 1:6.4 1 Includes births (live and still), spontaneous and therapeutic abortions.