Screen pregnant women and new mothers for PTSD to save NHS millions
The report said healthcare costs for women who developed PTSD after childbirth were double those who did not, suggesting early prevention could save £26 million a year
Screening pregnant women and new mothers for PTSD could help save the NHS £26 million a year, a study of the costs of birth trauma has found.
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The study by researchers from City St George’s, University of London, found around one in 20 women developed clinical levels of PTSD after giving birth but less than half were referred to mental health support services.
It said healthcare costs for women who developed PTSD after childbirth were double those who did not, suggesting early prevention could save £26 million a year.
The true cost is likely to be even higher, with women who developed PTSD less likely to return to work a year later.
One mother told researchers she had been unable to return to work “because I wouldn’t leave my baby with anyone for fear something bad was going to happen to him”.
Another said she had suffered PTSD, flashbacks and depression “until I reached out for support over a year and a half later”, having been offered no support in hospital or immediately after.
Kim Thomas, chief executive of the Birth Trauma Association, said the research should “serve as a wake-up call” and urged the Government to investigate the wider costs of birth trauma.
As well as introducing routine PTSD screening during pregnancy and after birth, the report said healthcare staff should receive more training in identifying and handling the condition.
Susan Ayers, the report’s co-author and professor of maternal and child health at City St George’s, said: “Unless action is taken to address birth trauma and PTSD, the annual cost of health service use by women and their babies will remain high.
“Preventing traumatic births and implementing routine screening and treatment for PTSD will both benefit women and families and may begin to bring these costs down.”
Earlier this year, the Government said it would appoint a national maternity commissioner after a review led by Baroness Valerie Amos found families had suffered repeated failures in NHS care.
Lady Amos found women were “not being listened to, heard or believed” along with “fragmented” and “inconsistent” care and evidence of racism “embedded” in maternity services.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “For decades, too many women suffering PTSD, depression or other mental health issues after childbirth have been sent home with little or no support, and often without anyone to talk to about how they are feeling.
"We are determined to change that and ensure that every woman has somewhere to turn when they need help.
“In particular, we are working to make specialist support available to all women experiencing perinatal mental health conditions – providing assessments, signposting and follow-up care – and we are expanding NHS talking therapies to help women access further support.
"No woman should be left to suffer alone with post-childbirth trauma.”