Scottish charity backs report calling for better miscarriage support from employers

A Scottish charity is backing a report from Westminster that encourages employers to provide two weeks of paid leave for parents who suffer a miscarriage.

Currently, there are no provisions for families to receive maternity, paternity or bereavement leave from their employment should they lose a baby in the first 23 weeks of pregnancy.

In the UK, it is estimated that one in five pregnancies end before reaching the 24-week mark.

The Westminster report highlights that many employers, such as the NHS, already provide paid leave for baby loss in the early stages of pregnancy—but it is not a universal rule for all workplaces.

Julie Morrison set up the Baby Loss Retreat charity after she and her husband Bryan lost their baby, Erin, in 2003.

She said: “I think this needs to be rolled out over the whole UK. I feel that it's like a lottery, depending on what area you live and what experience you've got after a miscarriage.”

"To be asked to go back to work two or three days later is traumatic. Parents are going through enough, without being asked to return to work.

“We need to give empathy to people.”

The Baby Loss Retreat charity is also working to improve the provision of Early Pregnancy Units across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, launching a petition online.

Julie said: “There is still a lot to be done within the hospital experience.

“Miscarriage units close over the weekend, which forces women to go to A&E.

“That's my fight just now, asking the government, ‘Why are we using A&E for miscarriages when we have a unit that can be opened over the weekend?’.

The Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, Sarah Owen MP, who led the review, said: “The case for a minimum standard in law is overwhelming.

“A period of paid leave should be available to all women and partners who experience a pre-24-week pregnancy loss.

“It’s time to include bereavement leave for workers who miscarry in new employment rights laws.”