Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to promote parental mental health (a) during pregnancy and (b) in the first two years of infancy.

As part of NHS England’s Maternity and Neonatal Three-Year Delivery Plan, NHS England is working to roll out Maternal Mental Health Services for women experiencing mental health difficulties, related to loss or trauma in the maternity or neonatal context. This may include those who experience post-traumatic stress disorder following birth trauma, perinatal loss, or severe fear of childbirth, also known as tokophobia.

As of February 2024, 39 Maternal Mental Health Services have been established, which provide psychological therapy for women experiencing mental health difficulties related to their maternity experience. Every integrated care system area will soon have these services in place.

In December 2023, NHS England published new guidance for general practices (GPs) on the postnatal appointment women should be offered six to eight weeks after giving birth. This provides an important opportunity for GPs to listen to women in a discrete, supportive environment.

The guidance asks family doctors to provide personalised postnatal care for the mother’s physical and mental health, and to support them with family planning.  This will include information and resources on assessing and addressing mental health needs and importantly sets out practical initiatives to improve access, experience, and outcomes.

Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, £100 million is being invested in bespoke perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support for the 1,001 critical days from pregnancy to a baby’s second birthday, in 75 local authority areas in England.