Action on Positional Plagiocephaly

The motion

That the Parliament notes the growth in the number of reported cases of positional plagiocephaly in babies in Scotland since 1995; acknowledges that this cranial disorder, which makes the back or side of a baby’s head appear flattened, is mainly caused by outside pressure placed on the skull and is generally associated with the prolonged periods of time that babies can spend with their heads resting in one position; accepts that the increasing incidence of the disorder has been linked to the success of parental guidance on sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), urging parents to place babies on their backs to sleep; recognises that early interventions are possible to prevent or correct plagiocephaly which, most importantly, do not negate the significance of the SIDS advice; welcomes the Scottish Executive’s action to develop, with NHS Health Scotland, a leaflet to advise new parents of these interventions, and believes, however, that this action should be supplemented with properly constituted research into the treatment of this condition, including the potential use of cranial remoulding orthoses, and more detailed guidance for NHS staff, particularly at primary care level, to allow for more timely diagnosis and treatment of positional plagiocephaly.


No recorded vote on this motion. Most motions are never debated, and many that are debated are agreed without a division. Vote records are published from 2011.

SNP 8 Lab 7 SSP 3 LD 2 Ind 2 Con 1 Green 1 Sol 1

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

No contribution in the Official Report cites S2M-05500 by reference.