Legal News

The NHS has been given updated guidelines for pregnant women who may be at risk from mental health issues.

BBC News reports that the new guidelines from NICE state that pregnant women with mental health conditions – or who are at risk of a mental health issue – should receive extra support at all stages of their pregnancy and following the birth.

The updated guidelines follow the deaths of new mother Charlotte Bevan, 30, and her four-day-old daughter, Zaani – whose bodies were discovered in Avon Gorge in Bristol, after Ms Bevan walked out of a maternity unit in Bristol days after giving birth for the first time.

It is reported that Ms Bevan had been treated for schizophrenia and was also sleep-deprived following the birth of her daughter.

University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust is currently conducting an investigation into the deaths of Charlotte Bevan and her baby daughter.

The NICE guidelines are intended to help NHS maternity staff identify pregnant women and new mothers with mental health conditions. It is estimated one-fifth of women may suffer from post-natal depression or anxiety in the year after giving birth.

NICE says that mental health issues in new mothers may have a lasting effect on families and the children of women who suffer postnatal depression.

New mothers are at a higher risk of psychosis in the weeks after giving birth – while some women may suffer obsessive compulsive disorders (OCDs), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), tokophobia (extreme fear of childbirth) and eating disorders after giving birth.

NICE says that women who develop mental health issues following the birth of a child usually overcome their problems with treatment – but such problems frequently go undiagnosed or unrecognised by healthcare staff.

Director of the NICE Centre for Clinical Practice, Professor Mark Baker told BBC News:

“Giving women the right treatment at the right time can have a profound effect – not just for the mother, but her family too. The effect of getting this right can last for years.”
The guidelines were last updated in 2007. The recent NICE updates on pregnancy and mental health include:

• Counselling on the potential implications of pregnancy for all women of childbearing age who have a new, existing or previous mental health problem
• Mental health and wellbeing should be discussed at the first antenatal appointment, including asking specific questions to identify depression
• An integrated care plan for any woman with a mental health problem during or after pregnancy, setting out treatment and the health professionals responsible for her care
• Updated advice on the most appropriate and safe drugs and treatments to be offered during pregnancy and breastfeeding – as well as supporting women in weighing up the pros and cons
• Extra support for women and their partners who have experienced a traumatic event, such as a very difficult birth
• More support for mothers who have suffered a miscarriage or whose baby is stillborn.

Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is the UK’s leading firm of Legal Aid mental health solicitors and can advise mental health patients on their rights under the Mental Health Act, including access to NHS mental health services – and detention under the Mental Health Act.

In some cases, Duncan Lewis mental health solicitors may be able to advise the Nearest Relative or carer of a mental health patient, including initiating mental health treatment reviews, where appropriate.

For expert legal advice on mental health law, call the Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors Helpline on 0203 114 1124.