£40million NHS investment in postnatal depression care
Women who have postnatal depression or who have suffered a miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a baby will get more support from the NHS, with the creation of 4,200 more health visitor roles.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley promises services for expectant and new parents at home and in local communities after they have had a baby. Special training will help health visitors spot postnatal depression as early as possible with £40million investment in psychological and talking therapies.
Patients will be asked to rate their care so the NHS can improve it. This will form part of the Prime Minister’s friends and family test. In the unhappy event of a miscarriage, Better Miscarriage Care, launched in 2011, has called on the government and local NHS trusts to implement a five-point code of care for families suffering from miscarriage.
Mr Lansley said: “We have listened to the concerns of women about their experiences of maternity care, which is why we are putting in place a 'named midwife' policy to ensure consistency of care. Not least, we will focus on the quality of care given to mothers–to-be and measure women’s experience of their maternity care for the first time.”
