Maintain pressure on reforms to protect NHSHealth visitors reduce post-natal depression
Post-natal depression can be avoided if women simply receive the correct kind of support after they give birth, a report by academics has said.
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Health visitors, whose numbers in England have been drastically cut over the years, should be trained to psychologically assess new mothers, according to the study.
Joint research carried out by staff at the universities of Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield, could not be developed because of the severe shortages of ordinary NHS health visitors, never mind specially trained ones.
Terry Brugha, the lead author of the study and who is based at Leicester’s health sciences department, said: “Up until now, it was thought that depression could only be treated when it is picked up by a GP or health visitor. But this study shows that women are less likely to become depressed in the year after childbirth if they are attended by an NHS health visitor who has undergone additional training in specific mental health assessment and in psychological approaches based on either cognitive behavioural or listening techniques.
“Women receiving usual care were significantly more likely to develop depression six months after childbirth.
“However when the research team set out to repeat and develop further this research they were unable to make sufficient progress because in most parts of England there has been a substantial reduction in the number of health visitors funded by the NHS.”
Depression is thought to affect about one in 10 women following childbirth, depending on the definition and method used to assess depression.
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Readers' comments (3)
Latterlife Midwife | 18-Aug-2010 7:41 pm
Thank you so much for the link! Looks like a very important study, though it makes perfect sense.
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Anonymous | 22-Sep-2010 7:42 am
In some areas (Scottish Borders) Health Visitors routinely use the Edinburgh Post Natal Depression screening tool and have identified mums who need additional support.
Offering that support is limited by the level of staffing within that locale.
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Anonymous | 16-Oct-2010 11:53 am
I am a registered Health Visitor and would love to support more of my mums but am unable to do so because of the vast caseload I have!! The solution we have been offered is to delgate this job to RGN's!! I thought this was supposed to be part of MY job, why would I want to delegate when I would use my initial assessment compared with a follow-up visit to assess mental health? and use the therapeutic raltionship I already had to offer support (that's a laugh because we rarely see our mums anymore) Please let us fulfill our role and support these women properly instead of watering doown our services in this way.
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