Perinatal mental health report (NMPA)
The National Maternal Perinatal Audit (NMPA) has published a report on the evaluation of hospital and crisis care for perinatal mental health. Based on births between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019 in England, this report contains a number of key findings including the fact that prolonged hospital stay following birth was more likely for those with any previous contact with secondary mental health services than for those without. However, the rates of stillbirth and infant deaths for babies born to those who had contact with secondary mental health services in the past were similar to rates for those who had not.
This report also contains four recommendations:
- More complete recording of hospital bed type, along with further research, is required
- Start and end dates should be recorded for all inpatient admissions
- Those who have previously accessed secondary mental health services should be given support and information before they become pregnant, or in the perinatal period, which is tailored to their individual circumstances7
- Improvements are required to the recording of diagnoses for those who received community mental health services.
Read the full report: You can read the report by clicking on the button below.
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