House of Commons · Westminster Hall
05 February 2025 · 10 other contributors · 4,861 words
Opened by Laura Kyrke-Smith Lab Aylesbury
Responding minister: Stephen Kinnock
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Laura Kyrke-Smith raised concerns about maternal mental health in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
Laura Kyrke-Smith suggested four ways to improve support for maternal mental health: improving specialist perinatal mental health services, better embedding mental health support in routine maternity care, improving community support, and education and awareness raising. She also highlighted the economic consequences of maternal mental health issues costing an estimated £8.1 billion each year.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
In 2021, Laura Kyrke-Smith lost a friend to suicide during the pandemic due to mental health issues post-partum. She mentioned that one in five people who give birth experience a mental health problem during pregnancy or after birth, and for teenage mothers, post-natal depression is up to twice as prevalent compared with those aged 20 or over. The stigma around these problems is huge, with 70% of women hiding or underplaying maternal mental health difficulties.
Welcomed the debate and highlighted the work of a local charity supporting mothers who have experienced baby loss, agreeing with the importance of post-partum check-ups for all women.
The hon. Member spoke about the neglected mental health crisis among new mothers, citing statistics that one in five of the 600,000 women who give birth each year experience a perinatal mental health condition.
Irene Campbell agreed that stigma around maternal mental health can be used as a barrier to women getting help from abusers, requiring widespread attention for survivors.
Jim Shannon agreed with Laura Kyrke-Smith that support is needed for young mothers and suggested that charities such as Home-Start provide essential funding to help more young mothers who feel they are drowning.
The hon. Member talked about the medical misogyny that women experience in maternity care, including being denied pain relief and waiting for years for a debrief after giving birth, and called for maternal mental health to be a priority.
The hon. Member emphasised the importance of pre-emptive support for new mothers to address potential mental health issues before they become severe problems, suggesting a proactive approach by the Government.
Maya Ellis shared a story about her friend who experienced a mental breakdown during the covid lockdown due to worries about breaking rules, reinforcing the importance of maternal mental health being a high priority in emergency planning.
The hon. Member discussed her personal experience with maternal mental health and highlighted the need for better support systems before women even become pregnant to prevent them from feeling abandoned after childbirth.
Olivia Bailey agreed with Laura Kyrke-Smith's proposal for specialist support for those experiencing post-adoptive depression, highlighting the severe mental health challenges faced by adoptive parents.
Robin Swann agreed with Laura Kyrke-Smith's statement about the importance of having professional teams and mother and baby units in place for perinatal support.
Government Response
Stephen KinnockThe Minister for Care
The Government takes the issue extremely seriously and is placing renewed focus on mental health and suicide prevention during the perinatal period. The figures show that over one in three women experience traumatic births, one in twenty develop post-traumatic stress disorder after giving birth, and between 2021 and 2023, 26 women died from mental health-related causes within six weeks of pregnancy. That is why NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services commits to offering all women a personalised care and support plan, considering physical health, mental health and social complexities, with an updated risk assessment at every contact. Ten years ago, fewer than 15% of localities provided specialist perinatal mental health services for women with complex or severe conditions at the full level recommended in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, and more than 40% provided no service at all. Today, specialist perinatal mental health services are available in all 42 integrated care systems across England. Women can be referred to services by any healthcare professional, including midwives, health visitors, GPs, hospital-based teams, mental health services and social workers. Self-referrals are accepted by some services. In October, the Government extended the baby loss certificate service to help mums and dads who go through the nightmare of a pregnancy loss. This Government want every child to have the very best start in life. Last month, we announced £126 million of funding until 2026 through the family hubs and Start for Life programme. That will provide a raft of support for families with babies, from pregnancy up to the age of two. It includes funding for bespoke support for parents and carers with perinatal mental health difficulties, and for parents-infant relationships.