‘GPs strive to deliver best possible care for new mothers’, says College Chair

College Chair, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, featured in The Guardian responding to the latest NHS England guidance for GPs, which was produced in collaboration with the College, on post-natal health checks. 

"The weeks after a woman gives birth are vital for her physical and mental health and wellbeing - as well as that of her child. This is something GPs and our teams take very seriously and are trained to deliver high quality care that takes into account the patient’s individual circumstances.

"Today's guidance from NHS England recognises the importance and complexity of the six-eight week postnatal consultation, highlighting the opportunity to identify and offer evidence-based treatment for issues such as postnatal mental health problems and pelvic health complications of pregnancy and birth. We hope it will be useful for GPs and our teams as we strive to deliver the best possible care for new mothers.

“What we continue to need in general practice is the time to spend with patients who need it, and as this guidance makes clear, many postnatal conditions may need longer appointments and multiple follow-up consultations. We desperately need more GPs working in general practice, so that we can spend more time with our patients who need it – and our recently launched manifesto, suggests steps we want all political parties to take heed of to ensure this.”

Further information

RCGP Press office: 0203 188 7659

press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editors

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.