Mental health ‘hubs’ for pregnant women and new mums to be set up across England

The 26 new hubs – ten of which will be up and running within months – will bring together maternity services, reproductive health and psychological therapy under one roof. The remainder will be open by April 2022, and every area will have one by April 2024.

NHS England said that around 6,000 women will receive care and treatment for a wide range of mental health issues from post-traumatic stress disorder after giving birth to others with a severe fear of childbirth, as part of the pilots, by the end of 2021/22. 

As well as offering psychological therapies for new and expectant mums, the clinics will also provide training for maternity staff and midwives.

Five years ago, 40 per cent of the country had no access to specialist perinatal mental health care. However, specialist community perinatal mental health services are now available in each of the 44 local NHS areas and more than 30,000 women were seen in specialist perinatal mental health community services in 2019/20.

It is estimated that it costs the NHS and social care sector £1.2 billion per year where women do not access high-quality perinatal mental health services.

Claire Murdoch, NHS England’s national mental health director, said, ‘Every woman has a unique experience with pregnancy and motherhood and some will need extra support to cope with mental health issues that can range from anxiety to severe depression so I am delighted that mothers across all areas of the country will be able to access this help if they need it.

‘The NHS is here for everyone who needs help and the expansion of specialist care through the roll out of these maternal mental health services will strengthen the services already in place, enabling us to improve the quality of care and outcomes for many women.

‘I would encourage any mum who needs this support to come forward safe in the knowledge that her mental health and well-being are of paramount importance and she should not feel ashamed of accessing the help she needs.’

Dr Giles Berrisford, NHS England’s national speciality advisor for perinatal mental health, said, ‘We know around one in four women experiences mental health problems in pregnancy and during the 24 months after giving birth, and these maternal mental health services will provide vital support, meeting the specific needs of these women.

‘Their establishment will significantly contribute to the overall commitment of the NHS to enable at least 66,000 women with moderate to severe mental health difficulties related motherhood to access specialist care by 2023/24.’

Emily Slater, CEO of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, said, ‘For the more than 1 in 10 expectant and new mothers experiencing mental health problems, and the increased numbers as a result of the pandemic, there needs to be a system of care available to support them. These new services will enable more women than ever to access vital perinatal mental health care.

‘The MMHA is keen to see training for all staff who interact with women and their families in the perinatal period, so we also welcome the role these services will play in upskilling the maternity workforce, alongside providing much-needed support.’

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said, ‘The pregnancy and the birth of a new child are a special time for families but if things go wrong it can have a huge impact on women, their partners and even other children.

'That is why the NHS is developing maternal mental health services to help them get back on track as part of our Long Term Plan.’

The first 10 sites will open around England 'within months', in:

• Birmingham & Solihull
• Leicestershire
• Northamptonshire
• Shropshire Telford & Wrekin
• South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw
• Lancashire and South Cumbria
• Hampshire and Isle of Wight
• Kent and Medway
• Cornwall
• Devon