PRESS RELEASE

• • Independent research commissioned by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA), conducted by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), estimates the costs and benefits of addressing unmet maternal mental health needs.
  • Changes to standard practice could have a net economic benefit of £490 million over ten years; £52 million in NHS savings and quality of life improvements worth £437 million.
  • 1 in 5 women are affected by maternal mental health problems, which are the leading cause of maternal death in the first postnatal year.

In a new study commissioned by the MMHA, researchers from LSE evaluated the economic viability of reforming current treatment for pregnant and postnatal women experiencing common maternal mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.

The report, ‘The economic case for increasing access to treatment for women with common mental health problems during the perinatal period’, estimates the costs and benefits of a model of care which could give women’s mental health the same priority as their physical health. The model, which focuses on the essential role of midwives and health visitors, would allow for women’s mental wellbeing to be accurately assessed at every routine contact and suitable treatments to be offered – in a similar way to physical conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Continue reading Increasing access to treatment for common maternal mental health problems could have a net benefit of half a billion pounds →

• • More than 1 in 10 women will experience a mental health problem during pregnancy or the first years after birth (known as ‘the perinatal period’).
  • The COVID-19 pandemic is creating additional challenges and further increasing mental health risks for new and expectant mums.
  • Now more than ever, the services supporting women and families with their perinatal mental health need to be protected and enhanced.

For almost 10 years, the Maternal Mental Health Alliance’s (MMHA) Everyone’s Business campaign has focussed primarily on securing specialist perinatal mental health (PMH) services[i] across the UK. Now, thanks to funding from the National Lottery, the MMHA is expanding this focus and launching a new campaign phase today: ‘Make all care count’. Continue reading Make all care count: new phase of the Everyone’s Business campaign calls for essential perinatal mental health care for all women and families in the UK →