Commons Sense

House of Commons · General Debate

Perinatal Mental Health Assessments 2025-10-22

22 October 2025 · 1 other contributor

Opened by Laura Kyrke-Smith Lab Aylesbury

Mental HealthNHS

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Laura Kyrke-Smith raised concerns about perinatal mental health assessments 2025-10-22 in the House of Commons. Other MPs contributed to the debate.

Key points

  • Moves for leave to bring in a Bill requiring mental health assessments in NHS antenatal care
  • Cites suicide as the leading cause of death for women six weeks to one year after giving birth
  • Estimates the cost of perinatal mental illness at over 8 billion annually

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Laura Kyrke-Smith Lab Aylesbury

Moves for leave to bring in a Bill requiring mental health assessments in NHS antenatal care. Cites suicide as the leading cause of death for women six weeks to one year after giving birth and discusses the prevalence of perinatal mental illness, estimating it costs over £8 billion annually. Emphasises the current variability and inequalities in access to support services and proposes a framework for structured assessments, training for professionals, clear referral pathways, and accountability measures.

Other contributors (1)
  • Laura Kyrke-Smith Lab Aylesbury

    Proposes that every pregnant woman receives a structured mental health assessment using validated tools. Calls for national training standards and clinical supervision to ensure professionals can identify risks and respond appropriately, with clear referral pathways into specialist services. Highlights the importance of accountability through data capture and oversight by the Care Quality Commission.

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