A named midwife for every new mother

A named midwife for every new mother

By Liz Lockhart

This week Andrew Lansley has pledged to ensure that every new mother in England will have a named midwife to oversee their care during and after pregnancy.  He has also pledged to provide further training for health visitors, in an effort to better recognise and diagnose the early signs of postnatal depression.  The announcement has been welcomed by many mental health and family organisations.

In response to Andrew Lansley’s pledge, Barbara McIntosh, Head of Children and Young People’s Mental Health Programmes at the Mental Health Foundation says:

 “The Mental Health Foundation is very pleased to hear the Government’s commitment to better support pregnant women and young mothers.

We know that this can be an emotionally stressful time and that some women will experience mental health problems. It’s crucial to ensure that any problems are identified early on, and that women know exactly how they can get help. Early intervention is the key to successful treatment.

We hope that this will focus on perinatal mental health and not just postnatal depression, as supporting the mental health needs of the mother pre-birth, during pregnancy, and after birth is fundamental to the mental and emotional development of the child.

Poor maternal mental health can have a negative impact on the care of the baby and any other children in the family, so this needs to be recognised as an issue that affects not just the mother, but the whole family.”

Lucie Russell, Vice Chair of the Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition has responded by saying “We very much welcome Andrew Lansley’s pledge to give women a named midwife to oversee their care during and after pregnancy, and to provide further training for health visitors, in an effort to better recognise and diagnose the early signs of postnatal depression. This is something that the Children and Young People’s Coalition has called for since its inception in 2010.

It’s great news that resources are being invested in training health visitors, as it is essential for them to become trusted support figures for both parents and children alike. Health Visitors need support to help them build trusting relationships with families and overcome the stigma surrounding their role.

We hope that they are not only trained in recognising the early signs of postnatal depression, but also in identifying wider mental health issues in the family and developing an understanding of attachment and how to promote it effectively. Good mental health in families and positive, loving relationships between parents and babies are the cornerstones of the healthy communities of the future.”

Commenting on the new Department of Health scheme for a named midwife for every new mother Family Action Chief Executive Helen Dent said:

"It is excellent to see that the Government is listening to our campaign to raise the profile of post natal depression and the dangers for children's futures if mothers are not supported.  Our Against All Odds: Mind the Gap campaign is calling for better welfare support and more services for mothers at risk of post natal depression before and after the birth of their baby. What we say is that the named midwife needs to assess the risk of PND before the birth and actively support and prepare the mother.  We know from our perinatal pilot study that this will require a significant investment of time and that this carries through the first year of life. We look forward to seeing how our innovative perinatal service can complement this new scheme."

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