Paul Burstow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Burstow on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the oral Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health of 13 January 2015, Official Report, HC Deb column 703, on mental health care (pregnant women), if he will publish his Department’s plans and the funding committed for ensuring that every maternity unit has staff specially trained in perinatal mental health skills by 2017; and if he will make a statement.
Dr Daniel Poulter
Improving diagnosis and services for women with pregnancy-related mental health problems is one of the Department’s priorities for maternity care.
‘Closing the gap: priorities for essential change in mental health’, published in January 2014, sets out the Government’s plans to ensure new mothers receive better support so that the incidence and impact of perinatal mental health problems can be reduced.
The Government’s Mandate to Health Education England (HEE) from April 2014 to March 2015 asks HEE to ensure post-registration training in perinatal mental health to ensure that trained specialist mental health staff are available to support mothers in every birthing unit by 2017.
To meet this mandate commitment, HEE, in conjunction with the Institute of Health Visiting, has developed three e-learning modules specifically covering topics such as perinatal depression and other maternal mental health disorders. The modules have been designed specifically for nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff. HEE is continuing to work to ensure midwives in training have a core training module focusing on perinatal mental health and to develop a continuing professional education framework for the existing maternity and early years workforce in 2015.
HEE’s 13 Local Education and Training Boards are taking forward the commitment locally to ensure that every maternity unit has staff specially trained in perinatal mental health skills. HEE has advised that information on the funding committed is not collected centrally.
