Postnatal Depression Concern As Maternity Services Report Published, UK

The lack of support for women suffering from postnatal depression - and the reduction in the health visiting service supporting those mothers - have been highlighted with the publication of a hard-hitting report into maternity services.


Unite/Community Practitioners' and Health Visitors' Association raised its continuing concerns in this area as the Healthcare Commission issued its report saying that some NHS trusts could do more to make maternity services safer.


Unite/CPHVA said that there were 690,000 'live' births in 2007 and 15% of those mothers will suffer from postnatal depression.


Dr Cheryll Adams, Unite Lead Professional Officer, Strategy & Practice Development said: 'We are very concerned that mothers don't receive the level of emotional and practical support they require in the postnatal period.'


'Difficulties with maternal child attachment and other mental health problems can only have negative consequences for children and families. Emotional health issues are often unseen and have been subject to underinvestment in the past.'


'This report makes clear the current status of such services, having found that 42% trusts had no access to a specialist perinatal mental health service for women with mental health needs.'


Earlier this year, the government announced that it wanted to employ 4,000 more midwives in England over the next three years. At the time, Unite/CPHVA said that 'the next logical step' would be a large boost to the health visitor workforce to mirror this investment - and Dr Adams repeated that call today (Thursday, 10 July).


Dr Adams said: 'The report also highlights the need for additional support for teenage mothers and those with learning difficulties in the weeks after birth and suggests that specialists midwife roles can be developed to meet these needs.'


'These roles already exist in the form of health visitors, but cutbacks in health visiting have seen a major reduction in the number and quality of postnatal visits following the handover from the midwife at between ten and 14 days.'


She said that an improved service to support parents in the postnatal period and beyond, delivered by well-trained health visitors was urgently needed. This was already a recommendation of the new child health promotion programme (CHPP) and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance for ante and postnatal maternal mental health.


Unite/CPHVA welcomed this comprehensive review of maternity services which will provide a benchmark for improving the standard of maternity services.



Notes


Unite NHS Day of Protest - 18 July - Cut our pay - No way!


Unite members across the country will take part in day of protest against the NHS pay offer on the 1 July, 2008. Workers will be campaigning around the slogan:

'Cut my pay? No way!'


For more information visit: unitetheunion/nhsdayofprotest


Unite/CPHVA press releases can be seen on the CPHVA website: unitetheunion/cphva


Unite is the largest union in the UK. It has seven professional sections: the Community Practitioners' and Health Visitors' Association, the Mental Health Nurses Association, the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists, the Society of Sexual Health Advisers, the Medical Practitioners' Union, College of Healthcare Chaplains, and the Hospital Physicists Association.



Unite was formed by an amalgamation of Amicus and the Transport and General Workers' Union in May 2007.


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