New mothers have no time to discuss mental health with GP, says charity

New mothers assigned less than three minutes each at postnatal checks

The six-week check is a crucial opportunity to identify physical or mental ill-health in new mothers (istock)

Almost half of all new mothers (47 per cent) get less than three minutes to discuss their mental and physical health at postnatal checks, a new survey suggests.

The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) and Netmums surveyed 1,025 women with children aged two years and under on GP treatment following the birth of their child.

The findings indicated that a sixth of mothers were given no time at all to discuss their own health during their postnatal appointments, while 31 per cent had less than three minutes.

A quarter of those surveyed (25 per cent) said that they were not asked about their mental or emotional wellbeing, with the attention focused exclusively on their baby.

The study forms part of NCT’s #HiddenHalf campaign, which calls for full funding of the six-week check-up that new mothers are entitled to, so that both mother and baby can be assessed.

Without this funding, many GP surgeries are unable to provide specific maternal appointments.

Research by the NCT in 2017 revealed that only half of new mothers with a mental health problem received the treatment they needed.

The NCT says that the six-week check-up is a crucial opportunity to identify problems, with treatment including counselling, medication, online therapy or peer support.

Of those mothers surveyed who reported having mental health difficulties, 82 per cent said that the treatment had helped them.

Sarah McMullen, head of knowledge at NCT, said: “Many new mums don’t find it easy to admit they are struggling so it’s impossible to make them feel comfortable enough to discuss their concerns in less than three minutes.”

She added that it was “vital” that mothers were given adequate time to discuss any health concerns to prevent problems from escalating. “If they aren’t given the support they need at this crucial time it can have a devastating impact on the whole family,” she said.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs, acknowledged the challenges faced by GPs, such as ”intense resource and workforce pressures”.

“Checks for new mothers need to be funded and promoted in the same way that checks for newborns are so that GPs can spend the time they feel they need to with both the baby and its mother,” she said.

“We hope today’s calls from the National Childbirth Trust for the government to fund checks for all new mothers are given serious consideration so that we can continue to give all of our patients, including new mothers, the care they need and deserve.”