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Maternal Mental Health

05 February 2025

Lead MP

Laura Kyrke-Smith
Aylesbury
Lab

Responding Minister

Stephen Kinnock

Tags

NHSDefence
Word Count: 4861
Other Contributors: 10

At a Glance

Laura Kyrke-Smith raised concerns about maternal mental health in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

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.

How the Debate Unfolded

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

Lead Contributor

Aylesbury
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.

Government Response

Stephen Kinnock
The Minister for Care
Government Response
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.
Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy

About Westminster Hall Debates

Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.