Will the Minister confirm whether any of the proposals submitted in the £3.5 million service improvement funding under the Together for Mental Health plan include provision for perinatal mental health and/ or support for new fathers?
More than £200,000 has been allocated to perinatal mental health services from the recent round of Mental Health Service Improvement funding in 2020-21, which will increase in 2021-22 to £468,000 to improve services.
Six of the seven health boards have requested funding to support perinatal mental health. These were based on the needs of their area and on the understanding they will adhere to the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Perinatal Community Standards.
This round of bids did not include specific proposals for fathers, but further work to recognise the unique needs of fathers is a key element of the actions included in the Together for Mental Health Delivery Plan 2019-22. Additionally, the perinatal mental health network is in the process of developing a fully integrated care pathway, which will reflect the unique needs of individual groups, including fathers, partners and supporters.