GPs get new guidance on six-week postnatal checks after our campaign

The guidance is a key achievement for Healthwatch England's maternal mental health campaign to improve the checks. Earlier this year Healthwatch England reported findings based on nearly 2,700 experiences shared by women and in-depth engagement carried out by some local Healthwatch.

In the new guidance, NHSE advises GPs:

Ask every woman, every time about her mental health. Never assume someone else has already asked her.

It adds that exploring mental as well as physical health is vital during the check because data from the national M-BRRACE programme shows that maternal deaths are much higher after giving birth than beforehand.

The guidance sets out key principles for the check, such as ensuring it is offered to all women, including those whose baby has died, gone into care or was born in a surrogacy arrangement.

We have called for integrated care boards to monitor how the checks are carried out and the new guidance offers you an opportunity to discuss how they will track improvements.

Healthwatch England campaign highlighted that nearly one in five new mothers had not had a check and of those who had had, only 22% were satisfied with the time their GP spent talking to them about their mental health.