Asked by: Jill Mortimer (Conservative - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve maternal mental health services.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
We have deployed specialist community perinatal mental health services in England. The NHS Long Term Plan committed to improve the safety, quality and continuity of care and allow an additional 24,000 women to access specialist perinatal mental health care by 2023/24. This will also be available from preconception to 24 months after birth to provide an additional year of support.
We are expanding access to psychological and talking therapies within specialist perinatal mental health services. A further 33 maternal mental health services will integrate psychological therapy, maternity services and reproductive health for women who have mental health needs following trauma or loss related to their maternity experience. These will be available in England by March 2024.
We have also invested £100 million in perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support, through the Start for Life and Family Hub programme for 75 upper tier local authorities in England. This will improve access to early intervention to support the wellbeing and mental health of parents and carers.