According to NHS figures, more than 57,000 new and expectant mums have received specialist support for mental health problems over the last year. This is up a third on 2022.
Every part of England now has a specialist mental health team, with experts offering women with moderate to severe or complex mental health needs support, including on how to develop the relationship between parent and baby.
All new mums are also offered a comprehensive mental and physical check-up from their GP within six weeks of giving birth.
Those that need further specialist support can be referred to one of the Maternal Mental Health Services across England, where staff including psychologists and midwives are able to help with range of issues including post-traumatic stress disorder following birth trauma, perinatal loss or those with a severe fear of childbirth.
According to the statistics, more than 57,000 women have received support from the clinics over the last year - up from 43,053 two years ago.
Claire Murdoch, NHS England’s national mental health director said: “Becoming a new mum is an incredibly special moment, but it can also be a very stressful and overwhelming experience, and the NHS wants to make sure that those suffering with any mental health difficulty such as post-traumatic stress or severe depression get the support they need.
“Our specialist teams across the country are highly trained and have many effective approaches to successful treatment, so if you are pregnant or have given birth in the last two years and are struggling with your mental health then please do not hesitate to ask your GP for support, the NHS is here to help.”
Health minister, Maria Caulfield said: “Pregnancy and motherhood can be a challenging time so it’s brilliant to see new and expectant mothers accessing tailored mental health services. We are committed to ensuring these services are available to every new mother who needs them, no matter where they live in England.
“The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan is growing the number of NHS staff working in mental health, primary and community care, ensuring specialist services like these continue to be available. The Government has also significantly increased spending on mental health to support these ambitions.”
