Perinatal care: mental health support expands but weight and smoking services “extremely disappointing”

There has been significant expansion in mental health support for women during pregnancy and postnatally, according to the latest snapshot survey of NHS maternity and neonatal services in England, Scotland, and Wales.1

There has been no improvement, however, in access to specialist services on weight management and smoking services—a situation which Lesley Regan, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, described as “extremely disappointing.”

The second organisational survey of the National Maternity and Perinatal Audit gathered data from all 151 eligible trusts and health boards across Britain as of January 2019. It shows how maternity and neonatal services have changed since the last survey in January 2017.

The number of trusts and health boards that participate in a perinatal mental health network has increased from 70% to 93% in England, …