Petition to extent Services for those with Post Natal Illness to meet  Current NICE guidelines

Helen Auld One of our senior moderators at PNI ORG UK started the following e- petition to the Prime Minister, to which there has now been a response. We are not entirely happy with the response as it seems to fob us off and give no assurances that the government will be doing any more about this than they are already - which is currently inadequate. Or give it any more priority.

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to arrange for more and higher standard of services for women and their families affected by post natal illness.”

Details of Petition:

“Currently services in the UK provided by the NHS are not up to the guidelines submitted by NICE. We believe the following basic principals should be put in place to help women and their families who are deeply affected by PNI to recover swiftly and fully: * A dedicated HV from each area in the UK to follow up any referrals from GP * Support groups on an informal basis to take the pressure off mums who may be suffering confidence with the opportunity to incorporate a buddy system. * Funds made for community groups to be set up with the support of a HV/CPN or other trained professional. * Faster follow up counselling than is currently available. * Shorter waiting lists for CBT and other therapies * A specifically trained individual on PNI to operate in each PCT * Correspondence for all mums with HV until the child reaches the age of 5 * More funding for charities supporting women and their families suffering PNI * Dedicated support for the father and families affected by the mother suffering PNI.”

Read on for the Governments response and our reaction to it. The responce can also be found here: http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page18412

A generation of mothers left to flounder alone

At last some recognition that all mothers need a support network. From an article in the Daily Mail on Saturday 17th January 2009: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1120285/Half-new-mothers-suffer-post-natal-depression-lack-families.html

Half of new mothers suffer post-natal depression because of a lack of families

By James Chapman

A generation of new mothers is in crisis, the Tories have warned.

More than half are said to show signs of post-natal depression as they are increasingly left to fend for themselves after giving birth.

Maria Miller, Conservative families spokesman, warned women were floundering because they did not have the traditional family support and advice their own mothers could rely on.

What is more, the Government has failed to keep up with the dramatic changes to motherhood over the last 20 years, she said.

Up to 52 per cent of women reported signs of depression and 60 per cent felt they had not seen their health visitor enough during their child's first year, found a poll by website Netmums.com