The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is calling for urgent action to end the postcode lottery in perinatal mental health care across the UK. 

On World Mental Health Day (10 October), the RCM is launching a new roadmap calling for improvements to perinatal mental health care, as it emerges that: 

• One in four women experiences mental health issues during the perinatal period – yet services remain underfunded, fragmented and inaccessible for many, depending on where they live in the UK; 

• Maternal suicide the leading cause of late maternal death; 
• The cost of perinatal mental health to society is £8.1 billion – a cost which is five times that of improving services.

Fiona Gibb, Director of Midwifery at the RCM, said: “Right now, a woman’s access to perinatal mental health support is far too dependent on her postcode and midwives see the devastating impact of this inconsistency every day. For example, there are areas in the UK where there are higher perinatal mental health issues such as the North East of England and in Wales, yet there may not be as many perinatal mental health midwives in these NHS Trusts to cope with the demand. 

“It has never been more important than now to invest in perinatal mental health. Midwives are at the very heart of supporting women’s perinatal mental health, but the provision of good, well-resourced care is inconsistent across the UK. 

“Pregnancy and the postnatal period can be joyful, but they can also be times of huge vulnerability. Ensuring women have the right mental health support from the start of their pregnancy and throughout must be treated as equally important as their physical health. 

“No woman should be left without help simply because of where she lives. Our roadmap is a call to action for policymakers and NHS leaders to invest in the workforce and systems to end this postcode lottery once and for all.” 

The RCM’s Perinatal Mental Health Roadmap is calling for recommendations to improve perinatal mental health care across the UK, including: 

• More specialist midwives trained in perinatal mental health, so every woman has access to the right support wherever she lives; 

• Stronger leadership roles for midwives within the NHS, to make sure women’s mental health is a priority in maternity care; 

• Regular training for all midwives in understanding trauma, so women are always treated with compassion and sensitivity; 

• Joined-up, culturally sensitive services, so women from every background get the care that meets their needs; 

• Equal focus on mental and physical health during pregnancy and after birth, so mums aren’t left to struggle in silence. 

The roadmap also highlights that nearly three-quarters (70%) of women will hide or underplay the severity of their mental health problems, often due to fear of judgement, stigma or the involvement of social services. 

Vlora Purchase, a specialist perinatal mental health midwife at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, said: “Perinatal mental health care is still a postcode lottery in the UK, largely because of how specialist midwives are funded. It is unacceptable that a woman’s access to life-saving support depends on where she lives. 

“In some areas, there are teams of perinatal mental health midwives offering women real choice and continuity of care. In others, there may be just one midwife trying to cover everything and that simply isn’t sustainable. Every woman, in every part of the UK, deserves equal access to specialist perinatal mental health support. That means proper, consistent funding for these vital roles.” 

ENDS  

To contact the RCM Media Office call 020 7312 3456, or email media@rcm.org.uk 

Notes to Editors  

• The Perinatal Mental Health Roadmap can be downloaded here: Perinatal mental health – Royal College of Midwives 

• The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is the only trade union and professional association dedicated to serving midwifery and the whole midwifery team.  We provide workplace advice and support, professional and clinical guidance, and information, and learning opportunities with our broad range of events, conferences, and online resources. For more information visit the RCM | A professional organisation and trade union dedicated to serving the whole midwifery team