Posted By: Michaela Parker
11th June 2026
5 minute read
After 25 years of campaigning, we are delighted to hear that mothers and birthing people in Northern Ireland will finally be receiving a permanent Mother and Baby Unit (MBU). The news, shared on 30th April in an announcement from NI Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt will be delivered by 2029 at the latest.
Until now, Northern Ireland has remained the only devolved nation without an MBU, meaning that mothers and birthing people suffering from perinatal mental illness have either had to be separated from their babies and treated in general psychiatric units, or rely on extra contractual referrals, meaning leaving family and friends to travel to one of the 23 MBUs across the rest of the UK.
Last year, we shared the story of Shelley Browne, a Northern Irish mother separated from her newborn baby and admitted to a general psychiatric hospital for five weeks. Shelley’s experience, featured by BBC One Northern Ireland’s ‘Spotlight: Mums in Crisis’, was a heartbreaking reminder of the urgent need for a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) in Northern Ireland, and the reason we’re thrilled at the news.
Together, tireless work has gone into campaigning for this important change.
From organising events and awareness activities, fundraising, peer support, delivering and attending training events and conferences, workshops and working groups, campaign action days and meetings at Stormont with local Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and decision-makers, it’s been a long road.
We’ve worked alongside so many Members and organisations on this journey, including – but by no means limited to - Action on Postpartum Psychosis, AWARE NI, Women’s Resource & Development Agency, Royal College of Psychiatry, Maternal Advocacy and Support Project, The Royal College of Midwives, NSPCC, and to many amazing individuals including Dr Geraldine Scott-Hayes, Tom McEneaney, Lindsay Robinson, Prof Siobhan O’Neill, Dr Jo Black, Dr Janine Lynch, Paula Tweedie, Julie Andersen and Mark Ovens alongside many others whose support, advocacy and tireless campaigning have helped make this happen.
A huge thank you to each and every one of them for bringing clinical, community and lived experience voices to the table.
Lindsay Robinson has been a huge part of this campaigning, and has led from a lived experience angle throughout. She comments, “To say this news is long-awaited is an understatement — and a big one. The campaign to bring Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Services to Northern Ireland has been ongoing for the last 25 years. I joined it in 2015 as a mum who had experienced perinatal mental illness and did not have access to the services and support I needed.”
Lindsay became ill during pregnancy with antenatal depression and anxiety, which followed her into the postnatal period. Her perinatal mental illness remained undiagnosed and untreated for two years. When she realised what had happened to her and why, she was determined to play her part in making sure other mums would have access to the support she so desperately needed.
Lindsay continues, “It has been the privilege of my life to play a part in the collective effort to secure Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Services and a Mother and Baby Unit for Northern Ireland. I am delighted to know that other mums, and their families, will now have access to the services they need and deserve.”
Below are the thoughts of some of the key Members and organisations involved in the campaigning for Northern Ireland’s MBU.
“BPS welcomes the announcement from the Northern Ireland Health Minister that a Mother and Baby Unit will be established in the Belfast City Hospital with plans to open by 2028/29. This marks a significant and long overdue development in perinatal mental health, supporting mothers to access specialist inpatient care while reducing potential harms associated with separation from their babies during a critical stage of attachment and early development. Key considerations remain regarding the provision of safe and effective interim measures, meaningful inclusion of lived experience within implementation and service design and ensuring sustained investment in the psychological workforce, providing access to specialist, trauma informed care focused on early intervention and prevention. BPS recognises the longstanding work undertaken by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance and its members in advocating for improved perinatal mental health services in Northern Ireland. We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with MMHA and partners across the sector to support the effective implementation of these vital services.”
“Stronger from the Start are delighted with the commitment to a mother and baby unit. We know from research and experience that both mother and baby will benefit so much from being close to each other during this period of treatment. It is sad that as a country it has taken this long for us to move towards this point and regrettably it is too late for many families but looking ahead we are excited to see this decision towards honouring the mother and baby bond.”
“We are delighted to hear the announcement of the imminent Mother and Baby Unit and fully support continued investment in maternal mental health services. This is a significant and welcome development, with the potential to create a positive ripple effect across the lives of mothers and babies, as well as within their homes, families, and wider communities.
We would also welcome reassurance on how people with lived experience will be meaningfully involved in the consultation and design process for the new facilities, ensuring services are shaped by the voices and experiences of those who will use them.”
"This has been a lengthy 20 + year campaign and this wouldn't have happened without women with lived experience campaigning and sharing their experiences, demanding better for women in the future. We remember and honour the women who lost their lives due to postpartum mental health illness and those who did not receive appropriate care. The Mas project worked in partnership with our colleagues in Action on Postpartum Psychosis, AWARE NI and the Maternal Mental Health Alliance on the MBU campaign, we are overjoyed that it is finally being recognised that Mas matter!"
Women’s Resource & Development Agency
“AWARE NI welcomes the announcement of a dedicated Mother and Baby Unit for Northern Ireland.
Mother and Baby Units provide specialist inpatient psychiatric care for mothers experiencing severe perinatal mental illness, allowing them to remain with their baby while receiving treatment – an approach recognised across the UK as best practice.
Until now, women and families across Northern Ireland have faced the distressing prospect of being separated from their baby during treatment on a general psychiatric ward or travel elsewhere in the UK to access specialist care.
Northern Ireland remains the only part of the United Kingdom without a specialist Mother and Baby Unit (MBU).
The announcement from the Minister of Health is long overdue and is a significant step forward for maternal mental health services in Northern Ireland. But with the unit not expected to open until 2028/29, it is essential that women and families receive the support they need, now.
AWARE NI will continue to work alongside partners within the Maternal Mental Health Alliance to seek clarity on what interim measures will be put in place to ensure timely, specialist care is available for those who need it.”
“I very much welcome the news that Northern Ireland is finally going to have a dedicated mother and baby unit. This will transform the experience for those women who suffer serious post-natal mental illness. I commend the dedication and commitment of the individuals and groups, particularly the people with lived experience of mental illness, who have worked so hard to ensure that this vital facility is available for people here.”
Prof. Siobhan O’Neill, Mental Health Champion for Northern Ireland
"We’re thrilled to hear of plans to fund a much-needed MBU in Northern Ireland, and we are committed to campaigning for this to be built and resourced sustainably. As we celebrate this news, we also hold in mind those who haven’t had the care they deserve, and those who’ll be waiting a little longer still.
With an MBU promised no later than 2029, it’s vital that we continue to care for women and birthing people suffering now, and ensure they receive the perinatal mental health care they need before a permanent solution lands."
