Head of Innovation Commercialisation at InnoScot Health, Gillian Henderson, considers how to improve highly complex management of overlapping needs for both mother and infant

Scotland must go back to basics in its approach to the delivery of complex perinatal care and start by closing gaps at grassroots level.

Medical, emotional, and social support given to mother and baby from pregnancy through the first year after birth remains vital to treating complications, mood and anxiety disorders affecting roughly one in four women, while laying the neurological foundations for a child's life.

Predictive digital health solutions, together with the convergence of AI and wearable monitoring devices, are undoubtedly helping to bridge the gap in persistent global health inequalities for women amid heightened awareness and increasingly open discourse around mental health and wellbeing issues.

Those are incredibly important pieces of the puzzle for the best possible start, and innovation has the capability to provide targeted support throughout the perinatal period and beyond.

However, there is still a long way for Scotland to go in bridging regional differences, with a fragmented picture remaining in evidence for different groups across society, exacerbated by interconnected systemic pressures. That is despite significant efforts as well as major investment in Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) and specialist community mental health teams.

While the NHS handles vital clinical care, when it comes to grassroots help, Scotland is driven significantly by third-sector organisations, community peer networks, voluntary groups, and specialised charities which provide non-clinical peer support, counselling, and practical education.

These groups are largely supported by the Scottish Government’s Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (PIMH) Fund, which is managed by Inspiring Scotland and has been extended through March 2027, providing a comprehensive framework for parents to access.

One thing is clear though — in line with Scottish Government’s Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) commitment, the earlier that support is identified and provided, the better the outcome.

The same can be said of education for both parents and the NHS Scotland workforce — we need to start earlier and in a more meaningful fashion in order to break down barriers across the board and sow the seeds of future progress.

For those NHS staff who are not necessarily specialists but are keen to seek out further perinatal and infant mental health learning, they can access training modules online via innovative, easily accessible platforms like NHS Education for Scotland (NES) Turas Learn.

For students pursuing healthcare professions such as midwifery, perinatal care, education should start as early as possible — during the foundational years of their undergraduate or pre-registration curriculum.

It is positive then to see Glasgow Clyde College launching Scotland's first HNC focused specifically on perinatal care — exactly what the country needs if other education providers follow that example.

The HNC Healthcare Practice (Next Gen): Perinatal Pathway is already underway, offering learning on everything from preconception and pregnancy through to the postnatal period and early parenthood.

Among one of the most important elements of the HNC is students undertaking a professional placement with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, giving them vital practical experience to complement learning around anatomy and physiology during pregnancy, mental health, clinical skills, inclusive practice, and more.

The course was developed by Glasgow Clyde College lecturers with the goal of providing a practical introduction to perinatal care and the wider profession.

Lecturer Nicola Bradley, co-developer of the course, noted that “modern maternity care extends beyond pregnancy, labour and delivery, and we're seeing a welcome shift into offering care throughout the whole pregnancy experience, including pre- and post-birth”.

It is a wider view which must now be embraced across all avenues of grassroots maternity care education with innovation-ready staff to the fore.