Fair care for mothers in need

May 5 2008 by Alan Weston, Liverpool Daily Post

POST-NATAL depression is a debilitating condition affecting vulnerable mothers. In extreme cases, it can put both mother and baby at risk.

So the last thing sufferers of this condition need is to have to travel some way outside their home town for treatment.

Yet that is exactly what faces new mothers in Merseyside and Cheshire, who have to travel to Manchester for treatment, or risk being separated from their babies.

Campaigners says services for women with the condition have not improved in the region in the last decade, and believe sufferers are being put at risk.

Very severe cases of the condition can lead to psychosis, and NICE guidelines state these patients should be treated in a dedicated facility with their babies.

However, the nearest such centre to Merseyside is Wythenshawe Hospital, in Manchester.

Post-natal depression occurs in 10 to 15% of new mothers, with very severe cases affecting only one in 500 women. Local NHS bodies say admission is a last resort, being only one aspect of the service they provide.

However, one campaigner believes that resources in this region are greatly under-funded, and is working with health care professionals to help improve the services available and set up a clinical network.

The picture is not universally gloomy. Most PCTs provide services for women with mild or moderate post-natal depression, and GPs and health workers assess new mothers for signs of the condition.

If patients develop more severe symptoms, they are referred to the local mental health trust.

But, given the debilitating nature of this condition, it is hard to disagree that there is a huge gap in provision, and that the North West needs more dedicated services, not just for those with severe problems but also for women who can be treated within the community.