Many newborn babies and expectant mothers are being transferred long distances for care unnecessarily, a baby charity has claimed.

More than 1,500 babies a year are transferred within Scotland, many far from home, according to Bliss, the charity for sick and premature babies.

In addition it estimates that around 1,000 women a year are transferred to another hospital immediately before giving birth.

The Bliss briefing said many of the transfers happened because services were overstretched rather than out of medical need.

And the report also said due to a "severe shortage" of neonatal nurses, babies are often not receiving the standard of care they need.

Bliss called on the Scottish Government to act "swiftly" on recommendations set out in the Review of Neonatal Services in Scotland, published last year.

Andy Cole, chief executive of Bliss, said: "It is deeply concerning that unnecessary long distance transfers are still occurring, putting enormous financial, practical and emotional strain on families.

"The care of our most vulnerable babies and the support for their families is crucial to get right at what is already a very difficult time."

The briefing highlighted new research into the social impact of transfers on families which found that more than half of women transferred felt socially isolated at the destination hospital.

Almost a third reported financial difficulties relating to the transfer, while a fifth said it had caused family difficulties.

There has been a 16% rise in the number of babies being transferred since 2004 and demand is likely to increase further over the coming years, by an estimated 100 transfers each year, the briefing said.

Scotland has the highest premature birth rate in the UK, with 7.3% of all babies born before 37 weeks gestation. Around 8,000 babies are born sick or premature in Scotland every year.

The report also said a severe shortage of specialist nurses and properly trained doctors in neonatal services means babies are not getting the one-to-one nursing care they deserve.

It called on the Scottish Government to introduce neonatal networks to end the inappropriate transfer of mothers and babies, and to provide neonatal care in compliance with British Association for Perinatal Medicine (BAPM) standards.

It also said the Scottish Neonatal Transfer Service must be properly resourced to ensure it can meet growing demand.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "Mothers should be able to deliver their babies at their local hospital wherever possible, but because neonatal care is a very highly specialised area and because of its unpredictability, this cannot always be the case.

"We understand that transfers can be distressing for families, as do staff in the health service, but unfortunately they are sometimes necessary to ensure mothers and babies get the care they need.

"Scotland has a dedicated 24-hour neonatal transport service with specialist professional staff, which is the envy of many other countries.

"We are looking at the potential value of a national service to help maternity units needing to transfer a pregnant woman or baby, and we will ask our neonatal transport service about the possibility of repatriating babies back to their local units."

She said the government has funded the training of 20 advanced neonatal nurse practitioners and is investing a further £160,000 in neonatal training this year.