There is an “urgent need” for more funding for mental health care for expectant and new mothers, leading midwives have said.
The comments from the Royal College of Midwives come after a report claimed services across the UK are “under resourced”.
Researchers wrote the report following an online petition which gathered more than 55,000 signatures calling for the NHS to review how it treats and cares for women with postnatal depression.
The petition was set up by Lucie Holland, whose sister Emma Cadywould died following a battle with postnatal depression.
The report states that Ms Cadywould took her own life six months after giving birth to her first son – despite having been under NHS-led mental health care.
Her family urged health officials to look into the care of women with the condition, saying that if she had been referred for specialist care she would have recovered.
[…]
Dr Alain Gregoire, chairman of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, added: “Emma’s tragic death as a result of a severe perinatal mental illness offers us all an urgent wake-up call.
“We must act now to prevent more women from suffering or dying unnecessarily.
“Recovery through good support and care should be the norm if women and families everywhere have access to high quality specialist services, but it is still a postcode lottery. This has to change.”
Article from The Independent, 18 July 2017