A unit dedicated to the treatment of new mums suffering severe symptoms of postnatal depression is set to open in the Lothians, Scotland, supported by the Church of Scotland’s Postnatal Depression Project.

|PIC1|The Mother and Baby Mental Health Unit will treat around 40 women each year after its opening next spring, reports The Scotsman.

The unit, which will focus on the treatment of women who have developed puerperal psychosis – the most extreme and potentially damaging form of post-natal depression, will be housed at St John’s Hospital in Livingston.

This is the first time that mothers suffering from the condition will be able to take their babies into the unit to stay with them, a condition that health authorities must ensure under the new Mental Health Act which came into force last month.

It is hoped the opening of the new unit will help NHS Lothian to address the challenges of providing all the services stipulated by last month’s Mental Health Act, after NHS Lothian admitted Wednesday that hospitals in the area are struggling to meet their obligations under the new mental health laws.

Jackie Sansbury, director of strategic planning and modernisation at NHS Lothian, said: “At present we don not have suitable accommodation in place to admit mothers and babies together.

|QUOTE|"However, we are currently in the process of redesigning and developing a new regional specialist mental health service with significant investment in community services and support from the Church of Scotland Postnatal Depression Project.”

“The proposal includes the provision of a dedicated mother and baby unit at St John’s Hospital.”

The Church of Scotland’s Postnatal Depression Project currently provides a major part of the services needed in this area, including counselling and support to sufferers.

Vivienne Dickinson, manager of the Postnatal Depression Project, welcomed the new Mother and Baby Mental Health Unit, saying, “This will make a real difference”.

|AD|“There will be specialists in post-natal health, rather than just general psychiatrists, and that will improve what is offered,” she said.

“Mothers being able to keep their baby with them when they are in hospital is very significant in terms of attachment.”

June Riley, 33, developed severe postnatal depression after the birth of her second child, Gavin, 19 months ago, at which time she turned to the Postnatal Depression Project for support and counselling.

Ms. Riley said that the option of taking her baby with her to the hospital would have greatly reduced her worries: When I had Gavin, I was petrified I might need to go to hospital because I wouldn’t know what would happen to him.

“But if people are thinking about suicide, it’s great they will be able to get support from specialists knowing their child is safe as well.”

The Livingston unit will cover mothers from a number of board areas including Lothian, Borders, Fife, Tayside and Highland, with NHS Lothian only the second health authority to have such a facility, after NHS Greater Glasgow opened a similar unit last year.