Grieving mothers who have lost babies have to wait six weeks for mental health help to start, says report

Women experiencing trauma after birth and baby loss are waiting an average of six weeks – four weeks longer than they should – to be assessed by specialist mental health teams according to a new survey by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.

More broadly, mothers are facing year-long waits for general mental health care as a lack of funding leaves “patchy” services throughout the country, the study said.

The charity has published a report highlighting the postcode lottery facing women who need maternal mental health support.

Data from 41 maternal mental health teams in England also found the average waiting time for one-to-one therapy following an assessment is 16 weeks. However, waits across the country varied from 0 to 12 months.

Providing maternal mental health services to all areas of the country was a core target within the NHS’s long-term plan, published in 2019. These services offer a range of help to women including those who have suffered trauma after birth.

Although most areas of the country have a team, access to services is varied according to the MMHA.

Dr Camilla Rosan, Chair of the Faculty of Perinatal Psychology at the British Psychological Society, said while there has been progress, “women and birthing people are still left waiting for months and months, still jumping through hoops and leaping over mountains to get to the evidence-based care they need and deserve. All the while their symptoms are worsening.

“This is time they don’t have – parents and babies simply can’t wait...”

Charity Birth Trauma Association, responding in the report said: “Many women have told us that help for their birth trauma isn’t available locally, or that they are not eligible for help, either because they are too ill or not ill enough. In other cases, they have a long wait for treatment. The impact of this can be devastating, leading women to feel even more isolated,”

The target for teams is to assess women within two weeks of a referral however the average waiting time is 6 weeks, with some areas leaving women waiting up to 52 weeks to be assessed.

One local service leader told the MMHA “The service is very small, but we are catering for a large number of women with mental health difficulties following perinatal loss; service is much needed but waiting lists are long due to small resources.”

“We’re not able to assess all referrals and unable to hit targets for assessing patients within 4 weeks. Unable to with limited resources within team. Waiting list continues to grow.”

While most teams have current funding levels assured, they have not been funded to expand services, despite increasing demand. The MMHA said current funding levels are “not even close to meeting full levels of need.”

In Humber NHS leaders have had to close the maternal mental health service due to a lack of local funding.

According to the report, three per cent of services have closed since opening due to a lack of funding, while seven per cent have no assurance they will receive further funding beyond the current year.

Staff in Oxfordshire told researchers that a lack of funding to recruit permanent staff had resulted in staff burnout and women having to wait six months for a psychologist appointment, and nine months for a debrief after experiencing a traumatic birth.

Karen Middleton, Head of policy and campaigns at the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, says: “For women suffering birth trauma, baby loss and extreme fear of giving birth, the unique care that maternal mental health services offer can be life-changing.

“Whilst the increase in the number of MMHS is very welcome, these are very small and fragile services operating in a system which has historically underfunded both mental health and women’s health. Our survey found one service has already had to shut due to funding issues. Without further attention and investment, women will continue to face a postcode lottery to access this critical care.”

In 2022 the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, was named the patron for the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.

An NHS spokesperson said: “As this report makes clear, there has been significant progress in rolling out mental health support for new and expectant mums, but we know there is still more work to do to ensure every woman gets the right care at the right time.

“We will continue to develop specialist services, and community perinatal mental health teams are now available in every local area with 40 Maternal Mental Health Services (MMHS) operational across the country. Over 59,000 women received NHS support from the services over the last year – nearly double the number who received support in 2021.”

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.