Minister Promises Bath MP Support for New Mothers is “Focus” Of Government Mental Health Strategy

14 December 2020

Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath, asked a question last week in the House of Commons, seeking reassurance that Government is doing all they can to improve maternity services “across the country”.

In her question, Bath’s MP spoke about the widespread impact of perinatal depression, which can happen to any new mother, and not just those who have tragically lost a child.

Responding to the question, Nadine Dorries, Minister for Mental Health, acknowledged that this was an area her Department was particularly focussed on and promised that the “mental health services we have seen rolled out over the past 18 months are a testament to this fact”.

The exchange follows the success of Wera Hobhouse’s campaign to ensure that every new mother has access to a six-week mental health check-up.

Wera Hobhouse said:

“It is reassuring to hear the Minister confirm that women, and particularly new mothers, are at the heart of the Government's mental health strategy moving forwards. It has been a very traumatic year for many new mothers, who have been consistently an afterthought and forced to go through many of the milestones of new motherhood in isolation.

“I will be watching closely to ensure that what the Minister said is accurate and that support services for new mothers are available widely across Bath.

“Perinatal depression can have a huge impact, not only on a mother, but also on a child. It is far more common than many people think and there is still a negative stigma attached to the idea that mothers need help themselves. Government must be doing everything in their power to combat this, for the sake of women and future generations.”