Calls for establishment of perinatal mental health unit for mothers and babies
Planning for Ireland's first mother and baby unit, to be located on St Vincent’s Hospital campus, Dublin, is currently under way, but there is currently no facility in the country. Picture: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie
A dedicated mother and baby unit to support perinatal women suffering from severe mental health issues must be urgently established, campaigners say.
Mental health difficulties in the perinatal period are common, with one in five women reporting this experience in pregnancy or in the first year after birth.
While the number of women requiring inpatient services is much smaller, the National Women's Council (NWC) says a special unit where women with severe or complex mental health difficulties can receive in-patient care and remain with their baby is desperately needed.
Planning for Ireland's first mother and baby unit, to be located on St Vincent’s Hospital campus, Dublin, is currently under way, but there is currently no facility in the country.
It means women must be admitted to general acute mental health units, and separated from their babies.
Kate Mitchell, NWC’s head of policy and development said the establishment of a dedicated unit is the only part of the national perinatal mental health model of care yet to be completed.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion of key stakeholders, she said the specialist unit must be complemented by continued improvements in a wide range of perinatal mental health services and supports across primary, community and acute and specialist settings.
"It is really critical that this service is established, but it also needs to be complemented by a very broad range and spectrum of perinatal mental health services and support," she said.
"We need to see continued investment in support of the other services that are there, including mental health midwife posts and multidisciplinary teams.
Ms Mitchell said primary care psychology services as well as community mental health midwives should be provided to ensure all women are supported.
Experts in attendance at the roundtable event highlighted the prevalence of, and changes over time in, depression, anxiety and stress symptoms experienced by mothers. These symptoms are exacerbated by the fact that perinatal care effectively ends six weeks post-birth, even though, as evidenced, many of those who have just given birth require services beyond this date.
Doireann Crosson, NWC’s women’s health coordinator, said separating women who need hospital care from their babies can have a profound adverse impact
"We’re now calling on Government to respond and establish, without further delay, this specialist unit so that the mental health needs of all women and their babies are appropriately met," she said.
