Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what training health visitors receive to (a) detect, (b) refer and (c) support women with Postnatal Depression.

The additional 4,200 health visitors being delivered by 2015 will be offered training so they can detect the early signs of postnatal depression and ensure all women get support during and after birth.

In addition to their core training, health visitors are able to enhance their skills and knowledge in the context of their specific roles. Earlier this year, we commissioned the training of 375 perinatal mental health champions who have now been trained across England. The perinatal champions have responsibility for cascading their training in their local areas - to facilitate the spread of knowledge and practice among colleagues. In addition to the training of champions, all health visitors are able to access perinatal mental health e-learning modules.

The Maternal Mental Health Pathway¹ was developed by health visitors and midwives and is a woman and family-centred approach that facilitates good communication between all those involved in care. It includes auditable referral systems/pathways between acute, primary and specialist care from antenatal period through to the postnatal period.

¹Published by the Department of Health, August 2012