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<p>This Government is committed to preventing mental illness and improving health
outcomes for new parents and their children.</p><p>The NHS Long Term Plan commits
to improving access to and the quality of perinatal mental health care for mothers,
their partners and children with the ambition to increase access to perinatal mental
health services to an additional 30,000 women by 2020/21, with a further 24,000 women
to be able to access specialist perinatal mental health care by 2023/24.</p><p>From
April 2019, new and expectant parents are able to access specialist perinatal mental
health community services across England. Specialist care will also be available from
preconception to 24 months after birth, which will provide an extra year of support
(care is currently provided from preconception to 12 months after birth).</p><p>The
potential for a six week post-natal maternal health check for all mothers that includes
questions relating to mental health, is the subject of further work by NHS England
and NHS Improvement to establish a clearer picture of current practice in the area.
If taken forward, the check could be introduced from April 2020.</p><p>The NHS Long
Term Plan Implementation Framework set out plans to provide all areas with an additional
funding to support the delivery of mental health priorities – including an expansion
of access to specialist community perinatal mental health services in 2019/20.</p>
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