Mental health checks for all new mothers

ALL new mums in England will be offered more personalised postnatal support from their family doctor.

- Hanna Geissler

Women are invited for a GP check-up six to eight weeks after giving birth to make sure they are recovering well.

The new guidance sets out in more detail what should happen at these checks, including instructions to: "Ask every woman, every time about her mental health. Never assume someone has already asked her." Dr Claire Fuller, NHS medical director for primary care and the service's lead GP in England said: "More than 600,000 women give birth every year in England, and so it is vital that they can get the right NHS mental health and physical support at what can be a hugely pressured moment in their lives.