Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional (a) counselling and (b) support his Department provided to people who gave birth during the covid-19 lockdown.

Guidance from the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists sets out that postnatal care should be regarded as essential care and women should be encouraged to attend appointments despite the pandemic.

National Health Service mental health services - including specialist perinatal mental health services – remain very much open for business and mental health providers are looking at how they can maximise the use of digital and virtual channels to keep delivering support to existing and new service users. For those with severe needs or in crisis, NHS England has instructed all NHS mental health trusts to establish 24 hours a day, seven days a week mental health crisis lines, clearly accessible from trust websites.

Further, we have made £5 million available to mental health charities in recognition of the vital role they play alongside the NHS in supporting people affected in numerous ways as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.