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Pregnancy: Mental Health Services

Asked by Chris HinchliffLabourDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 22 April 2025UIN 45327

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all Integrated Care Systems in England commission Maternal Mental Health Services.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock

We recognise how important it is for women with perinatal mental health problems to get the right care and support they need. Women who need support can access specialist perinatal mental health services, including mother and baby units, specialist perinatal community teams, and newly established Maternal Mental Health Services.

Maternal Mental Health Services have been set up to provide care for women with moderate to severe or complex mental health difficulties arising from birth trauma or loss in the maternity and neonatal context.

As of April 2025, 41 Maternal Mental Health Services are live, with services in every integrated care system area in England due to be operational by end of the first quarter of 2025/26.

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