Letter from the Convener to the Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care and Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport, 15 December 2021
I am writing further to your appearance before the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on 14 December 2021 and Members’ subsequent discussion of the evidence it heard from you both.
During the session, you spoke about a dashboard of information on NHS Boards in relation to perinatal mental health. The Committee would like to have sight of more granular detail on perinatal mental health services, and is particularly interested in further detail on the following, broken down by NHS board:
• Spending on perinatal mental health services.
• Percentage uptake of perinatal mental health training modules for midwives and health visitors, as well as details of what the Scottish Government is doing to ensure staff are allowed sufficient time to undertake training during working hours.
• Percentage of bereaved parents who have had access to care from a specialist bereavement midwife over the past five years.
• Further detail on what the Scottish Government is doing to support the provision of joined-up care, appropriately coordinated between the NHS, third sector services and those with lived experience.
I would be grateful to receive a response by 12 January 2022 and look forward to hearing from you.