Better safeguards needed for expectant and new mums
Scotland still lags behind other parts of the UK when it comes to caring for the mental health of expectant and new mothers and their babies.
A group made up of professionals working in the health, charity and education sectors have issued a ten-point call for action by the Scottish Government and NHS boards.
They want them to address the fragmented and inadequate level of healthcare provided to many mothers before and directly after their babies are born.
The blueprint, ‘Joining the Dots: a call to action on maternal and infant mental health in Scotland’ which has just been published, highlights that around 20 per cent of women suffer from anxiety and depression during pregnancy and in the first postnatal year.
Recent NSPCC Scotland research showed that just five out of 14 health boards have a community perinatal mental health team and, despite the large numbers of women affected, help available can depend heavily on the postcode in which mothers live.
The expert group is appealing to the Scottish Government to make use of UK Government funding it has received to address the gaps in Scotland.
They also want health boards to implement the national clinical guideline on perinatal health published five years ago, which they say is currently not being followed.
Elaine Clark, Chair of Maternal Mental Health Scotland, said: "We’re pleased that perinatal mental health has been identified as a priority for the new National Mental Health Strategy for Scotland.
"We’re committed to working with the government and health boards to improve and develop the services that are badly needed.
"Investment in community services nationally would tackle stigma and remove barriers to women accessing safe and effective care."
Matt Forde, national head of service for NSPCC Scotland, commented: "The link between maternal mental health and child wellbeing is well documented, and yet Scotland is still not doing enough to support the mental health of pregnant women and new mums.
"We want to see national clinical guidelines implemented in full, along with specific investment like we have seen in England and Wales. Investing in perinatal mental health can help protect two generations at once."
Professor of midwifery Helen Cheyne, of Stirling University, said: "We have particular concerns that women with the most severe problems still do not have equitable access to inpatient care where they can be admitted with their babies. This is something women have a right to in Scotland.
"We would like to see the recommendations of the recent Mental Welfare Commission report on the inpatient care of women with perinatal mental health disorders being implemented by health boards."
