Government-backed study said SNP’s flagship policy had failed to reduce infant mortality
A “baby box” giveaway for Scots hailed by Nicola Sturgeon as one of her “proudest achievements” has failed to improve infant health, a study has found.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow found claims that handing expectant parents around £160 worth of baby products, in a box that can double as a makeshift crib, had not saved lives as SNP ministers had claimed it would.
Instead, they found “no evidence of changes” in hospital admissions for babies or their mothers or “infant sleeping position”, which can be a factor in cot deaths, following the introduction of the flagship SNP policy.
The SNP government has so far spent £90 million on the initiative, over the past six years. When it was launched, Ms Sturgeon claimed it would “reduce infant mortality and improve child health”.