Make your voice heard. We need politicians to hear that people care about maternal mental health, so that they take action. You can help change the system for parents.
Why are we campaigning for better six week check-ups?
Our research showed that currently only half of new mothers with a mental health problem receive the treatment they need.
The six-week check is a key opportunity to identify these problems, but many women said their appointment was rushed and some ended up with less than 3 minutes to discuss their own health, often because their six-week check was squeezed in with the baby check.
We launched the #HiddenHalf campaign in summer 2017 to tackle under-diagnosis of perinatal mental illness. Since then, thousands of supporters have joined us to taken action across the UK to fight for better postnatal checks for new mums.
Since then, an incredible 14,000 people signed up as #HiddenHalf supporters, over 7,000 supporters have written to their MP and lots of MPs have raised the issue with a minister. We’re keeping up the pressure on the governments across the UK to change the system for new mums and families.
The English government announced in February 2020 that it will be funding GP maternal postnatal checks and we’ll be making sure that this is implemented effectively in England. We are also continuing to campaign for improved services in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
A special message to supporters in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Do you have a little time available and would you be interested in getting involved in a #HiddenHalf campaign group to develop campaign activities for the local context? To find out more, please contact Vicky at campaigns@nct.org.uk.
