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<p>Perinatal mental illness covers a wide range of conditions. Although the Government
has made no formal assessment of the links between perinatal mental health and intergenerational
poverty, we stated in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health that if left untreated,
it can have significant and long-lasting effects not only on the woman but also on
the emotional, social and cognitive development of children.</p><p>The Government
is committed to improving both the detection and treatment of perinatal mental illness.
General practitioners and primary care teams have a crucial role in supporting the
identification and treatment of perinatal mental illness, including post-natal depression,
and are part of an integrated pathway of services. Support includes monitoring early
onset conditions, providing pre-conception counselling and referring women to specialist
mental health services, including Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services
and specialist perinatal community teams, if necessary.</p><p>To date, NHS England
and Health Education England has also funded training for over 3,000 staff and professionals
in mental health, maternity services and primary care to better identify and support
women with perinatal mental health needs.</p><p>We are investing £365 million from
2015/16 to 2020/21 in perinatal mental health services to ensure that by 2020/21 at
least 30,000 more women each year are able to access evidence-based specialist mental
health care during the perinatal period. This investment is designed to improve access
to specialist perinatal mental health services across England, resulting in better
outcomes for women and their families.</p><p>In addition, the NHS Long Term Plan,
includes a commitment for a further 24,000 women to be able to access specialist perinatal
mental health care by 2023/24, building on the additional 30,000 women who will access
these services each year by 2020/21 under pre-existing plans. Specialist care will
also be available from preconception to 24 months after birth, which will provide
an extra year of support.</p>
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