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Scrutiny Panel States of Jersey By email
15th February 2021 Dear Scrutiny Panel
I am writing in response to your letter dated 9th February 2021. Please see below our comments in response to the key issues highlighted in your letter to us.
It is our view that the current maternity facilities are not fit for purpose and are outdated. We feel that the facilities have an impact on service users' dignityandability tohavea positiveexperience during their pregnancies.Wewelcomethe proposed plan to upgrade the maternity facilities. We would hope that these would happen with minimal delays.
We believe that there are suitable antenatal and perinatal mental health services; however, delivery of services is patchy and inconsistent. We also believe that there are limited resources to meet the needs at the time expectant parents needs additional support; there is a lack of preventative approach which often lead to crisis management. We also feel that there are too many doors to access mental health services; the referral route is unclear and inconsistent which leads to some expectant parents to fall through the gaps. It is our hope that the work currently being undertaken by the Government of Jersey around redesigning perinatal mental health services will address these issues.
Expectant parents' feedback highlights at times insufficient emotional support following pregnancy loss, that information shared with expectant parents can be delivered in an abrupt manner resulting in increased stress and anxieties. Delays in delivery of debrief sessions following traumatic births has an impact on parents' mental health and potential connection to their unborn babies. The current situation resulting in expectant mothers not being allowed to have support from their partners or other supporters during their antenatal appointments has increased anxieties.
Feedbackreceivedfromexpectant parents would indicate that they are able to make choices of maternity care for themselves and their babies.
Weareunabletocomment on the policies aspect.
We believe that the current resources are limited and stretched which has an impact on expectant parents' mental wellbeing. We feel that a preventative approach would be best to meet expectant parents' needs rather than a crisis led approach.
Itisour opinionthatmaternityservicescanbeimprovedbythe provision of modern, fit for purpose facilities and a seamless referral pathway to perinatal mental health services – right help at the right time.
As stated above COVID19 has had a significant impact on maternity services and expectant parents' experiences during their pregnancy and postnatally. Feedback receives indicate that for many expectant parents not being able to attend antenatal appointments and scans with their partners/supporters is having a significant impact on their mental health and increases their anxieties. We understand that postnatal care includes one home visit and the rest of the appointments take place at the Bridge, according to need. This again is likely to impact on parents' mental health, connection to their babies and parental relationships.
WewouldwelcometheopportunitytomeetwiththePaneltodiscuss these issues further. We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Sabrina Charpentier
Team Manager
NSPCC, The Gower Centre
