General Practitioners: Postnatal Care

(asked on 25th October 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the medical effectiveness of post-natal physical and mental health checks for new mothers, carried out by GPs.


Answered by
Nadine Dorries Portrait
Nadine Dorries
This question was answered on 30th October 2019

Post-natal care can be delivered by a number of different providers, including midwives, health visitors and general practitioners (GPs). Commissioners and providers should ensure that women are offered a review of their physical, emotional and social wellbeing by a healthcare professional at the end of the postnatal period (between 6-8 weeks).

NHS England and NHS Improvement expects commissioners and providers of maternity care to pay due regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. NICE guidance on ‘Postnatal care up to 8 weeks after birth’ states that at each postnatal contact, women should be asked about their emotional wellbeing, what family and social support they have and their usual coping strategies for dealing with day-to-day matters. At the end of the postnatal period, the coordinating healthcare professional should ensure that the woman’s physical, emotional and social wellbeing is reviewed. NHS England and NHS Improvement have been reviewing the available evidence to establish a clearer picture of current practice in this area. NHS England has been working with the National Childbirth Trust on developing the evidence base, and we are following this important work closely.

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