Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase access to NHS specialist mental health care following (a) pregnancy and (b) baby loss for people in Brighton Pavilion constituency.

We recognise that the experience of losing a baby or pregnancy loss can be very difficult for parents and families. We are determined to make sure all bereaved parents, regardless of where they live, have access to mental health support.

Significant progress has been made to ensure women experiencing moderate to severe and complex perinatal mental health conditions can access specialist perinatal mental health services. This includes 165 mother and baby unit beds which have now been commissioned to provide inpatient care to women who experience severe mental health difficulties during and after pregnancy.

Maternal mental health services are also available in all parts of England, including Brighton. These services provide care for women with moderate/severe or complex mental health difficulties arising from birth trauma or loss in the maternity/ neonatal context.

The National Health Service has expanded specialist perinatal mental health support, and access has more than doubled from 31,163 in March 2020 to 66,468 in October 2025.

The Sussex Perinatal Mental Health Service, which covers the Brighton area, includes a specialist bereavement counselling offer, available to anyone who was pregnant with a baby that died after 24 weeks of pregnancy or up to 28 days after birth. This includes stillbirth, neonatal death, and termination for medical reasons after 24 weeks. This service can be accessed at any point within the first year of the bereavement. The offer includes counselling and therapies for individuals and couples. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/our-services/specialist-services/perinatal-services