I was delighted to take part in a Parliamentary debate on Perinatal (ante and post-natal) Mental Illness following the visit to one of my surgeries of constituent Libby Binks, who raised concerns about the diagnosis and treatment of post-natal depression. The debate focused on tackling low rates of diagnosis of maternal mental health problems.
Almost one in five women experience mental health problems during pregnancy or in the year after they have given birth. Recent research by NCT, the UK’s largest charity for parents, found that nearly half of new mums’ mental health problems are not picked up by health professionals.
The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends a six-week postnatal check to assess how a woman has experienced her transition to motherhood, which includes checks on her mental health; all GP surgeries must offer these checks. Libby had been through the six-week check without any consideration being given to her wellbeing, despite the fact that she was clearly in distress. A health visitor came in at a later stage and filled in a questionnaire with her, which clearly showed she had post-natal depression but no action was taken. We need to use that six-week check and later ones not as a tick-box exercise but as a real opportunity to ensure that the mother’s wellbeing, as well as the child’s, is taken into consideration.
The Government has invested £356 million in improving perinatal mental health in England over five years, which will provide support and care for at least 30,000 women by 2021. North Yorkshire has just secured £23 million of that to help with mental health services for new and expectant mothers. I am also pleased that the Government has increased the number of midwives by over 1,800. A greater number of midwives and health visitors can work together with other health professionals to better detect and properly diagnose mental health illnesses among new and expectant mothers.
Libby Binks said "with over a third of new mums being given just three minutes to discuss their mental wellbeing at the six-week check it is no wonder that half of those who suffer mental health issues aren’t given the help they need. The NCT’s Hidden Half campaign is calling for a ten minute dedicated appointment for all mums and this simple change will not only help countless women but entire families for generations to come. I wish I had received the help I needed so that my family didn’t have to suffer as we did and I hope that with the support from MPs including Kevin Hollinrake, we can make a difference to others".
Perinatal mental health services are being delivered and transformed to ensure that more expectant and new mothers are able to access high-quality mental health support. We must do more and I support the National Childhood Trust calls for funding and guidance for doctors so that they are better equipped to discuss emotional health with mothers. The charity is also urging people to show their support by signing up to the Hidden Half campaign at www.nct.org.uk/hiddenhalf.