Concerns have been raised about Scottish Government plans to more than halve the number of intensive care units for babies.

Public health minister Aileen Campbell said the reduction would enable better care for the small number of very sick babies.

Under the plans, the 15 neonatal care units currently in place would remain and, of these, the eight designated as intensive care units would be reduced to five.

Read more: Sick infants 'at risk' from 'alarming' staff shortages in Scotland's neonatal units, charity warns

Ms Campbell said in a statement to Holyrood the five "enhanced" units would be cut to three "in the longer term if possible".

The proposed shake-up is among 76 recommendations in a review of maternity and neonatal services set up by the Scottish Government.

Other recommendations which Ms Campbell said she wanted to see quick progress on were plans for continuity of care involving a primary midwife for expectant mothers and a new model of neonatal care to keep mothers, babies and families together as much as possible and allow them to get home as soon as possible.

Ms Campbell said: "The report is a landmark publication that will represent a major opportunity to improve services even further.

"Its recommendations will transform service delivery in Scotland.

Read more: Sick infants 'at risk' from 'alarming' staff shortages in Scotland's neonatal units, charity warns

"To give women and staff what they tell us they want, which the report describes as family-centred care, will require a radical shift in the way we deliver care.

"There is no doubt such change will be challenging to deliver and for many of our midwives and obstetricians it will represent a significant change in ways of working, but it will give better care."

Conservative MSP Donald Cameron welcomed the report but added: "We are concerned at the reduction in intensive care units, with the current eight units being reduced to between three and five, and then ultimately to three by the end of this parliament."

He also accused Ms Campbell of "brushing over" major issues with staffing.

Read more: Sick infants 'at risk' from 'alarming' staff shortages in Scotland's neonatal units, charity warns

Labour's Anas Sarwar echoed his concerns on staffing and baby intensive care units, referencing a report by premature baby charity Bliss which found three-quarters of units do not have enough nurses.

He said: "It's clear that this government's failure to workforce plan has left our maternity and neonatal units understaffed and existing staff overworked.

"The report recommends removing intensive care cots from 10 units over the next five years.

"Which 10 units will lose their intensive care cots? What impact will that have on travel times and on keeping families together?"

Miss Campbell said Scotland meets the Royal College of Midwives' midwife-to-birth and Scotland had a "good record" in delivering maternity services.

She said the neonatal specialisation is based on clinical evidence of what is best for babies "across the country" and that accommodation and transport for families in rural areas would be taken into account.