{"id":896367,"date":"2026-04-02T08:17:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T13:17:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/02\/health-board-becomes-first-in-uk-to-roll-out-miscarriage-cradle-kits\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T08:17:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T13:17:49","slug":"health-board-becomes-first-in-uk-to-roll-out-miscarriage-cradle-kits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/02\/health-board-becomes-first-in-uk-to-roll-out-miscarriage-cradle-kits\/","title":{"rendered":"Health board becomes first in UK to roll out miscarriage cradle kits"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Scottish<\/a> health board is set to become the first in the UK to roll out an innovative medical device intended to provide \u201cgreater care and dignity\u201d to those experiencing miscarriage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Beginning this year, the rollout will see miscarrying women in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) hospitals able to take home a \u201cmiscarriage collection cradle\u201d, giving them a respectful way to manage their loss at home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Designed to fit beneath a toilet seat, the device provides an alternative to surgery and helps preserve pregnancy tissue for genetic testing, which could offer insights into the cause of the miscarriage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The cradle was designed by a team at Dignity Care, whose director Laura Corcoran said she was inspired to create it after experiencing her own pregnancy loss.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWhen I experienced miscarriage at home, I faced an incredibly difficult situation without the right support,\u201d the former NHS engineer explained.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThat deeply personal experience led me to design something that could help others navigate the practical and emotional challenges with greater care and dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The cradle can be used at home or in hospital, and with features intended to reduce contamination and distress it replaces a process that many families have previously experienced in facilities not designed for this purpose.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ms Corcoran added: \u201cThis is about real choice. When someone experiences pregnancy loss they should be supported to manage it in the way that feels right for them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cOur aim is to ensure people feel cared for, respected and supported at one of the most difficult moments they may face.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThis is another positive step in how we\u2019re supporting women to feel more in control of their care, enabling them to have dignified experiences at home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Read More<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt is also a holistic approach to care, considering both a woman\u2019s mental health and wellbeing involved in miscarriage as well as the physical side.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Dignity Care is working with NHS laboratories to assess whether the use of the collection cradle improves the quality of genetic samples collected compared with obtaining them through surgery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If successful, it could increase the success rate of testing without the need for surgery, and help families gain insight into the causes of miscarriage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Zara Gavin, who experienced a miscarriage in 2021, is one of those supporting the introduction of the device by the health board.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ms Gavin, who works as a scientist in West Lothian<\/a>, said she began bleeding the day before her 12-week scan, and was later told her baby had died.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI went to hospital for a scan and they confirmed we had lost the baby,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Laura Cororan was inspired to design the cradle after experiencing her own miscarriage (Dignity Care\/PA)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI was given several leaflets and sent home, but I had no real understanding of what I was about to go through or what to expect.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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She miscarried later that night at home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI was in agony for hours and I didn\u2019t realise the pain I was experiencing were contractions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI also didn\u2019t realise that when the pain stopped, it meant I had passed the baby.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cHaving clearer information and the option of something like the cradle would give families more understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Nikki Harvey, lead nurse gynaecology and early pregnancy at NHSGGC, said: \u201cWe understand how upsetting a miscarriage can be for many women and we have processes in place to ensure they feel supported when this happens to them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re pleased to be gradually introducing the collection cradle, offering it to women where it is clinically appropriate, starting with the Royal Alexandra Hospital and then into our other sites.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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By reducing the need for surgery the device has also been shown to save money, with an independent health economic report suggesting it could save between \u00a36.7 million and \u00a311.2 million annually, freeing up an estimated 7,300 to 12,000 surgery slots.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Research<\/a> shows one in three women experiencing pregnancy loss attend A&E, yet one in five are turned away without treatment \u2013 indicating many families need compassionate support and practical guidance as much as clinical intervention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The rollout will begin at the Royal Maternity Unit before moving on to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Princess Royal Maternity Hospital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While a small number of hospitals have used the device elsewhere in the UK, Glasgow\u2019s commitment represents the first full integration across multiple hospital sites, with guaranteed access for eligible patients over the coming year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The move is supported by \u00a31.5 million in Scottish Government<\/a> funding dedicated to compassionate miscarriage services.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Nick Forbes
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Scottish health board is set to become the first in the UK to roll out an innovative medical device intended to provide \u201cgreater care and dignity\u201d to those experiencing miscarriage. Beginning this year, the rollout will see miscarrying women in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) hospitals able to take home a \u201cmiscarriage collection<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":896368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2207,267],"tags":[6960,7419],"class_list":{"0":"post-896367","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-board","8":"category-health","9":"tag-board","10":"tag-health"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=896367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/896368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=896367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=896367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=896367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}