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UK perinatal mental health national guidelines and recommendations

The Maternal Mental Health Alliance’s Everyone’s Business Campaign calls for all women across the UK to receive the mental health care they and their families need during pregnancy and postnatally, as described in the following national guidelines and recommendations:

  1. Perinatal Mental Health Services: Recommendations for the provision of services for childbearing women – The Royal College of Psychiatrists CR232 (2021)
  2. Framework for Maternity Care in Scotland (2011)
  3. NICE Antenatal and postnatal mental health: clinical management and service guidance (2014)
  4. The Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths (2017)
  5. NICE Guidelines Caesarean Section (2019)
  6. Northern Ireland Perinatal Mental Health Care Pathway 2012 (2017)
  7. Belfast: Public Health Agency; Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health, Guidance for Commissioners of Perinatal Mental Health Services 2012 (2015)
  8. NHS Long Term Plan (2019)
  9. The Royal College of Psychiatrists: Perinatal Quality Network for Perinatal Mental Health Services – Standards for Community Perinatal Mental Health Services Fifth Edition (2020)
  10. The Royal College of Psychiatrists: Perinatal Quality Network for Perinatal Mental Health Services – Standards for Inpatient Perinatal Mental Health Services 7th Edition (2019)
  11. The SIGN Guidelines (2012)
  12. NICE Quality Standard: Antenatal and postnatal mental health (2016)
  13. The Women’s Mental Health Strategy (2002)
  14. The Children and Young People’s NSF Maternity Standard 11 (2004)
  15. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Guidelines on Management of Women with Mental Health Issues during Pregnancy and the Postnatal Period (Good Practice No 14) (2011)

More perinatal mental health resources

The MMHA Resource Hub contains essential reading for professionals working in perinatal mental health in the UK, including reports, guidance, online training, toolkits, case studies and more.