I welcome the SNP Scottish Government’s actions to improve support for the mental health of new and expecting mothers.
More than £50 million is to be spent on improving access to mental health services for expectant new mothers. The new money will provide access to treatment for an additional 11,000 women who experience mental health problems during and after their pregnancy.
New models of service delivery will also be introduced, including specialist care for acute perinatal mental health problems and improved infant mental health services.
Furthermore, a new needs assessment report, funded by the Scottish Government, has been published by the national Managed Clinical Network (MCN) for perinatal mental health. The report outlines recommendations to improve the provision of mental health care for expectant and new mothers and their families.
More generally, the Scottish Government is also on course to deliver an additional 800 mental health staff within communities by 2022, with 268 already in post and funding for mental health services has increased £15.3 million from last year.
