Dr Sarah Witcombe-Hayes, NSPCC Cymru
- Leading health professionals and charities in Wales highlight mental health risks for new and pregnant mothers resulting from COVID-19 pandemic
- Experts share concerns around reduced admissions to specialist mother and baby units
- NSPCC Cymruâs Fight for a Fair Start campaign urges Welsh Government to prioritise perinatal mental health services now and as we move out of lockdown, so all new parents receive the necessary support
This Maternal Mental Health Awareness Day (6 May), NSPCC Cymru is urging the Welsh Government to prioritise perinatal mental health, as it warns of the risks and mounting pressures that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is presenting for new and pregnant mothers and their families.
It comes as the childrenâs charity hosted a virtual round-table of leading health professionals and charities in Wales, shining a clear spotlight on the importance of perinatal mental health support during and after lockdown.
Before the pandemic, up to 1 in 5 mums and 1 in 10 dads experienced mental health problems during pregnancy and after birth*, but there is growing concern that uncertainty surrounding lockdown, social isolation, and separation from family is causing heightened anxieties and pressure on parents.
NSPCC Cymru organised the round-table discussion, which was chaired by Lynne Neagle AM, who chairs the Children, Young People and Education Committee (CYPEC), and hosted by Dr Sarah Witcombe-Hayes, Senior Policy Researcher at NSPCC Cymru.
It brought together health visitors, midwives, specialist perinatal mental health professionals and charities in Wales to discuss how services have adapted during the pandemic to support parents, and share concerns about the immediate effect on mental health and the potential long-term impact on babiesâ health and development.
The roundtable revealed that dedicated health professionals and charities are rapidly adopting new and innovative ways of working to support families who maybe experiencing heightened anxiety and pressures. They reported how lines of communications have significantly improved between health services as they move to an increasingly virtual offer, resulting in more flexible and streamlined ways of supporting expectant and new mothers.
However, they shared an increasing concern around reduced referrals for support and admissions to specialist mother and baby units, which provide inpatient psychiatric care for mothers and their babies. Concerns were also raised about the impact of the pandemic on the mental wellbeing of dads and partners, as well as health care professionals themselves.
From the first to the third week of lockdown the number of adults that contacted the NSPCC helpline about parental mental health increased by just over a quarter (28%).
NSPCC Cymru is concerned that whilst services are working hard together to support families during lockdown, vulnerable parents experiencing perinatal mental health problems may not be coming forward to access specialist support at this time, leaving them at risk.
Today, NSPCC Cymru is calling on the Welsh Government to act upon three recommendations:
- To urge any mum or dad/partner concerned about their mental health during the perinatal period to seek support
- To monitor referrals into specialist perinatal mental health teams and mother and baby units (MBUs) and address any barriers to mums accessing specialist community and inpatient support
- To continue prioritising perinatal mental health now and following the lockdown, to ensure mums and their families in Wales can access specialist support when it is needed
Dr Sarah Witcombe-Hayes, Senior Policy Researcher at NSPCC Cymru says:
âWe know that perinatal mental health problems are common and that anxieties may intensify for pregnant and new mums and their families as they are faced with the pressures of trying to cope with the impact of COVID-19.
 âIf left undetected and untreated, perinatal mental health problems can have a devastating impact on mums, dads/partners and babies, both immediately but also long after the COVID-19 situation has passed.
 âThis is why, through our Fight for a Fair Start campaign, weâre wanting to ensure mums and dads/partners in Wales know that services are still available to support them during lockdown and are given the confidence to seek support when they need it. This will help ensure that mental health problems can be identified early, and that families continue to have access to special support during the lockdown and beyond when requiredâ.
NSPCC Cymru is inviting members of the public to help us by joining our Fight for a Fair Start campaign to ensure that the Welsh Government continues to prioritise perinatal mental health, so that mums and their families in Wales can access specialist support now and in the aftermath of the lockdown.
 The Minister for Health and Social Care, Vaughan Gething says:
âWe recognise that perinatal mental health services continue to be of vital importance during the COVID-19 crisis and will be a priority as we start to enter the recovery phase. Perinatal community services are still operational and support is available to parents wherever it is needed.
âIt is vitally important that families know that perinatal mental health support is still available and they should not defer accessing necessary health care due to COVID-19. Teams across Wales have shown commendable innovation to ensure that services have moved to digital and telephone appointments where possible to enable families to access support safely.â
NSPCC Cymru offers a preventative mental health service in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan designed to support parents who are at risk of, or experiencing, mild to moderate anxiety during pregnancy.
The Pregnancy in Mind service has been adapted during lockdown and is currently being delivered virtually to groups of expectant parents, guiding them through ways to cope with difficulties they may experience.
Parents-to-be can self-refer to the service or be referred via their midwife. For more details contact 02920 108080 or swalesadmin@nspcc.org.uk
The NSPCC relies on public support for 90% of its funding and has launched a ‘We’re still here for children’ emergency appeal to raise vital funds to support children and families across the UK.
 Any adult concerned about the welfare of a child or young person can call the NSPCC Helpline for free and confidential advice on 0808 800 5000 or visit nspcc.org.uk
 Children can contact Childline for free on 0800 1111 or childline.org.uk 365 days a year, and speak to a counsellor about a worry or concern they may have.
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