This week is Maternal Mental Health week and the Women’s Sector Lobbyist, Rachel Powell has written to the Minister for the Department of Health, Robin Swann to request an update from the Department on the delivery of perinatal mental health services in Northern Ireland as a matter of urgency. WRDA coordinated the Maternal Advocacy Support Project (MAS Project) which met with the Chief Medical Officer Michael McBride and a number of Department of Health officials last year.
In this meeting, the Chief Medical Officer pledged to push the Department of Health to fund and secure urgent perinatal mental health services, including an inpatient mother and baby unit and teams of specialist Perinatal Mental Health Professionals in every trust across Northern Ireland. This has not happened yet although Minister Swann confirmed his commitment to the issue in a recent meeting with campaigner Lindsey Robinson.
