Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the General Medical Contract includes a requirement for GP practices to undertake a check of a baby but not a mother at six weeks post-natally despite guidance by NICE that a new mother's physical emotional and social well being should be reviewed at that time; and if he will take steps to ensure that such a check of a mother is undertaken at that time.

The General Medical Service contract sets out that where a general practitioner (GP) practice provides maternity medical services, the practice is required to provide to female patients and their babies all necessary maternity medical services throughout the postnatal period other than neonatal checks. The GP contract regulations define the postnatal period as “the period beginning with the conclusion of the delivery of the baby or the patient’s discharge from secondary care services (whichever is the later) and ending on the fourteenth day after the birth”.

Any changes to GP contracting arrangements to specifically include a six week postnatal check-up would need to be negotiated with the General Practitioners’ Committee of the British Medical Association as part of the annual contract negotiations.