New mothers need better checks to help their mental health, charity says

By Ella Pickover22nd June 2017News EnglandCare Standards, Early Years, Mental Health, Midwifery, News England, Nursing / Midwifery, Pregnancy

The follow-up check for new mothers needs to be improved to ensure women with mental health problems do not fall through gaps in the system, a parenting charity has said.

The GP postnatal check-up, which is usually offered to new mothers six weeks after the birth of their baby, should see women asked how they are feeling as part of a general discussion about their mental health and wellbeing, among other health issues.

But a new poll from the NCT (National Childbirth Trust) found that 22% of women who had the six-week check were not asked about their emotional wellbeing at all.

The charity said the consultation is a “vital opportunity” to uncover any physical and mental health problems in women and babies.

But one in five women with an emotional or mental health problem did not feel able to disclose it in the check, according to the poll of more than 1,000 women with a child under the age of two from across the UK.

Of these women, 43% said they didn’t disclose problems because their doctor did not seem interested or sympathetic, a quarter said there wasn’t time and 46% were worried that health professionals would think they weren’t capable of looking after their baby.

The poll revealed that half of mothers said they experienced mental health problems at some time during pregnancy or within the first year of their child’s birth.

Yet 42% said their mental health problems did not get picked up by a doctor or other health professional.

Such issues can include depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and postpartum psychosis.

The charity has called for more funding to be made available for the consultation.

“It is shocking that so many new mothers aren’t getting the help they need which can have a devastating impact on the women and their families,” said Sarah McMullen, head of knowledge at NCT.

“Some mothers aren’t being open about how they’re feeling as they’re terrified they’re going to have their baby taken away and others are not being asked about their emotional wellbeing at all.

“A third of women said their six-week check was rushed and for some, it lasted only three minutes.

“GPs are under incredible pressure so it’s no wonder that this crucial opportunity to uncover any mental health problems is being missed.”

Commenting on the poll, Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “The routine six-week postnatal check, offered to all new mothers after giving birth, is an important opportunity for GPs and new mothers to discuss issues around mental health and wellbeing – and begin to address any resulting concerns.

“But it’s incredibly hard for GPs to explore all the physical and psychological factors affecting our patients’ health within the time constraints of the consultation as it stands. We need these checks to be much longer as standard, so that we are able to give the same attention to the new mother as we do to the baby – but this needs more resources for our service, and more GPs.”

An NHS England spokeswoman said: “Every year in England there are around 700,000 births and national NHS surveys tell us that the majority of women report they receive good care.

“We know that caring for the mental health of new and expectant mums is equally as important as caring for their physical health, which is why we are investing in additional mental health services, meaning an extra 30,000 women a year will receive specialised care by 2020/21 to give mothers and babies the very best start in life.”