A YORK mum who was sent for treatment 100 miles from home when she developed severe postnatal depression is campaigning for a mother and baby unit to be re-opened in York. She speaks to health reporter Kate Liptrot.

WHEN Sinead Willis became seriously ill with postnatal depression, the nearest hospital bed which could be found for her and her baby was 100 miles away.

The mum-of-two from Acomb developed debilitating postnatal depression three months after the birth of her second child. But as the mother and baby unit in York had closed, and the five-bed unit in Leeds was full, the nearest available bed was in Morpeth some 100 miles away.

Sinead said: "There had been something not right so I went to the GP and I had a very unusual reaction to the anti-depressants they gave me in that they stopped me sleeping.

"I spiralled into severe postnatal depression. At its worst it caused a complete shut down physically and mentally. It was a feeling of being hopeless and a loss of all emotional connection to everyone which was very scary."

Sinead and her son went to stay at the NHS unit in Northumberland and her husband, coping with a full time job and looking after their seven-year-old daughter, was only able to visit with their daughter for a few hours at the weekend before starting the long drive home again.

After three months Sinead was well enough to return home, and went on to make a full recovery thanks to the efforts of the Morpeth unit which helped to nurture the strong bond she has with her son, who is now two-years-old.

But she said it was then she began to learn about postnatal depression and the lack of support there is in terms of mother and baby units.

Sinead has launched an online petition - which has so far been signed by more than 700 people - asking Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, to re-open the mother and baby unit in York for treating mothers with severe postnatal depression.

She is asking for the unit to be included in plans for a new mental health hospital due to replace the existing BoothamPark Hospital.

"York is a big enough area to have its own mother and baby unit," she said, "Mothers are already going through enough having to cope with this terrible illness without having to travel far away for treatment, being separated from their families and other children who also need their mother."

York and North Yorkshire currently have no perinatal mental health teams according to the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.

York's two bed mother and baby facility closed in 2010, and two years later it was reported it would not re-open and that instead NHS services would be increased in Leeds. If the unit in Leeds is full, the nearest unit is 80 miles away in Manchester. Others are in Derby and Nottingham.

Among the comments of support under the petition, one person writes: "As a midwife I understand the desperate need for more of these units to support mums and babies, it should be less of a postcode lottery" and another adds, "I lost my sister due to not being admitted to a Mother and Baby Unit, and we will fight for more services to be provided. Without Mother and Baby units more babies could be at risk of losing their mums and have to face the devastating consequences that we are left with as a family due to this."

Sinead's appeal to NHS England is being considered by NHS commissioners in York after she raised the matter at the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group governing body meeting.

Dr Emma Broughton said it was something they were keen to look into with the growing importance of providing care closer to home. Thanking Mrs Willis for raising the matter, she said: "At present we are looking into it and we will keep you posted."

* The link to the petition is here: https://www.change.org/p/simon-stevens-chief-executive-nhs-england-re-open-the-mother-and-baby-unit-in-york-bootham-for-treating-mothers-with-severe-post-natal-depression


Postnatal depression

TEN to 15 per cent of new mothers develop a depression known as postnatal depression (PND).

Perinatal mental health problems cost the UK £8.1 billion each year, according to a report released by the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Centre for Mental Health.

The report, released last year, called for the NHS to spend £337 million a year to bring perinatal mental health care up to the level recommended in national guidance


* The Press contacted NHS England but it was not able to provide a response in time to run with this article.