NHS accused of ‘letting down’ women with pregnancy-related mental health issues

Just 7% of women with mental health problems during or after pregnancy are getting specialist help, a new poll suggests.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) said the NHS is “letting down” some of the most vulnerable women in society.

The RCOG said its latest report highlights an urgent need to improve mental health care for mothers.

The documents details low rates of referral to specialists, long waiting times as well as a lack of consensus among medics over medication.

Up to one in five women develop mental health problems during pregnancy or during the first year after childbirth.

A survey of 2,300 women across the UK who had given birth in the past five years revealed that four in five (81%) experienced at least one episode of a mental health problem during or after their pregnancy.

The report, supported by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA), found that low mood was experienced by more than two-thirds of those women, anxiety by around half and depression by 37%.

Only 7% of the women who reported experiencing a maternal mental health condition were referred to specialist care and for 38% of the women who were referred, it took more than four weeks to be seen.

Some waited for a year for treatment.

Women frequently reported they received inconsistent and conflicting advice on whether to continue, stop or change their medication, the RCOG said.

Bereavement care following miscarriage or stillbirth was also reported as lacking.

RCOG president Professor Lesley Regan said: “These survey results reveal the true impact of the care that women with maternal mental health problems currently receive in the UK and present a stark picture of how the NHS is letting some of the most vulnerable women in our society down.

“Only by listening to these women can we learn through their experiences and take urgent action to improve our services.

“Currently, the fragmentation of health care provision means that women face a number of challenges accessing the care they need.

“Healthcare professionals are often the first point of contact that a woman suffering with mental health problems reaches out to and we must ensure that all staff involved in the care of women during pregnancy and the first year after birth have relevant education and training in perinatal mental health.”

Dr Alain Gregoire, chairman of the MMHA, said: “We know that suicide is a leading cause of maternal death and that this represents the tip of an iceberg of suffering that has been ignored for too long.

“Despite some additional funding, GPs, midwives, health visitors, therapists and specialists providing perinatal mental healthcare are under extreme pressure, and in half of the UK, pregnant women and new mothers have no access to the care they need.

“In this survey, women have spoken out. Despite the pain, trauma and stigma these women have faced as a result of mental health problems, they have conveyed a clear and unequivocal message that services in the UK must improve.”

Commenting on the report, Abi Wood, head of campaigns at the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), said: “It’s outrageous that mental health services are in such a shambles and so many mothers aren’t getting the care they need.

“Providing better mental health support for new mums could ease suffering, reduce damage to family relationships and actually save the NHS money in the long term.”

Janet Fyle professional policy advisor at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said: “Perinatal mental illness exerts the most unimaginable toll on women, their baby and families and if we don’t invest in maternal mental health services now as a matter of urgency it will cost society more in the long term. This is an economic decision that must be made”

Public Health Minister Nicola Blackwood said: “We know new mothers are particularly vulnerable to mental health issues. That’s why we are investing £365 million so that women can access the right care when they need it, close to home.

“We are also investing up to £60 million on specialist community perinatal teams and just two weeks ago, I met with leading organisations and affected mothers to discuss the best ways to improve services for all women.”

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