NHS to expand mental health services for new mothers
Around one in four mothers estimated to experience problems such as post-natal depression or anxiety during pregnancy
6 April 2021 • 6:00am
Thousands of new mothers will be offered NHS counselling and support in an expansion of mental health services.
The new services – for around 6,000 women – aim to offer help to new, expectant and bereaved mothers from 26 hubs across the country.
Around one in four mothers are estimated to experience mental health problems such as post-natal depression or anxiety and distress during pregnancy.
Sir Simon Stevens, the NHS England chief executive, said: The pregnancy and the birth of a new child are a special time for families, but if things go wrong it can have a huge impact on women, their partners and even other children. That is why the NHS is developing maternal mental health services to help them get back on track as part of our long term plan.
As will bereaved mothers, under the new plan.
‘Hubs’ to support new, expectant and bereaved mothers with their mental health are to open in England.
There will be 26 sites in total, all with the aim of making sure mothers feel supported and safe in the knowledge that there are mental health resources available to help them adjust to pregnancy or new motherhood.
Announced today by the NHS England, the hubs promise to offer support to around 6,000 new parents in the first year alone.
Mental and physical health support
The sites won’t just offer mental health support, but physical care, too. Nurses will be on hand to address both physical and mental health issues.
Maternal mental health is in crisis and the pandemic has made things worse
The number of new and expectant mothers reporting anxiety and depression has risen sharply in the past year, but help is at hand
1 April 2021 • 1:30pm
Anna Ceesay, a former BBC journalist, has launched Motherdom, an online platform to address issues of maternal mental health
Credit: Ocean Taylor
The detrimental effect of the pandemic on the nation’s mental health is clear. Something that has been largely overlooked, however, is the mental health crisis affecting new and expectant mothers and its impact upon their family.
The publication of a new report commissioned by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) and conducted by the Centre for Mental Health brings together for the first time all the evidence gathered during the course of the pandemic. It’s a sobering read.
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