Kentish Express Ashford & District
New mental health unit for mothers and babies
A new mother and baby mental health inpatient unit will be created so mums don’t have to travel miles for treatment or be separated from their newborns.
NHS England has confirmed that Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) has been successful with its bid to provide the facility in the South East for patients from across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
The expansion in mother and baby unit capacity is part of NHS England’s work programme to improve the quality of perinatal mental health services.
KMPT’s service already helps those mothers who need mental health advice and treatment during pregnancy and up to a year after birth.
Previously, when admission to a specialist inpatient unit was needed, new mums could face being placed outside in a unit up to 200 miles away from loved ones. Or, if no specialist beds were available to accommodate them with their new born baby, the mother and child would have to be separated. The new unit, which will be based in a yet to be decided place in Kent, will mean women from across the county, as well as Surrey and Sussex, who experience mental ill health during pregnancy, or in the year after birth, will be able to get the support and care they need while also continuing to be with their baby.
Rose Waters, specialist services manager at KMPT, said: “This will enhance our existing perinatal mental health community service and provide mothers who need an inpatient admission the opportunity to be admitted to a local unit with their baby.
“We will of course be focusing every effort into proactive measures and alternatives to admission so that mums and their families are seen in the comfort of their own home wherever possible.”
The service secured additional funding last year to allow an increase in community resources which will help them reach an additional 598 women each year.