Routine post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) screening for expectant and new mothers could save the NHS £26 million annually, according to a new study examining the financial toll of birth trauma.
The research by City St George’s, University of London, revealed that around one in 20 women suffer from clinical levels of PTSD after giving birth, yet fewer than half are referred to mental health support services.
Healthcare costs for mothers developing PTSD after childbirth were double those for women who did not, suggesting early prevention could save £26 million a year.
The full financial impact is likely even greater, as women affected by PTSD are less likely to return to work a year later.
One mother told researchers she had been unable to return to work “because I wouldn’t leave my baby with anyone for fear something bad was going to happen to him”.
Another said she had suffered PTSD, flashbacks and depression “until I reached out for support over a year and a half later”, having been offered no support in hospital or immediately after.
Kim Thomas, chief executive of the Birth Trauma Association, said the research should “serve as a wake-up call” and urged the Government to investigate the wider costs of birth trauma.
As well as introducing routine PTSD screening during pregnancy and after birth, the report said healthcare staff should receive more training in identifying and handling the condition.
Susan Ayers, the report’s co-author and professor of maternal and child health at City St George’s, said: “Unless action is taken to address birth trauma and PTSD, the annual cost of health service use by women and their babies will remain high.
“Preventing traumatic births and implementing routine screening and treatment for PTSD will both benefit women and families and may begin to bring these costs down.”
Earlier this year, the Government said it would appoint a national maternity commissioner after a review led by Baroness Valerie Amos found families had suffered repeated failures in NHS care.
Lady Amos found women were “not being listened to, heard or believed” along with “fragmented” and “inconsistent” care and evidence of racism “embedded” in maternity services.
The Department for Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment.
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