Mental health unit to open two beds for Welsh mums

Nia Foulkes has bipolar disorder and received treatment at a MBU in Manchester after her son's birth in 2019

Concerns have been raised about a plan to send mothers with mental health issues from north Wales to England.

From next year two beds at the Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) at the Countess of Chester Hospital, Cheshire will be reserved for mums from Wales.

It will be closer for patients with conditions such as postpartum psychosis who are sometimes treated in MBUs as far away as Nottingham.

Critics fear two beds aren’t enough and have questioned how robust Welsh language provision will be.

One member of the Senedd said some mothers were attending adult psychiatric wards and being separated from their baby because there was no MBU on their doorstep.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said it has undertaken a "comprehensive" study which shows that only two beds were needed for the region.

Nia Foulkes, from Ruthin, Denbighshire, has bipolar disorder and was treated at a MBU in Manchester after she gave birth to her son, Gwilym, in 2019.

Women are also referred to specialist units in Manchester, Chorley, Birmingham as well as the Uned Gobaith Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) in Swansea.

She said it was "a really good place" but the distance from home and the lack of support in Welsh complicated her recovery.

"It put a lot of strain on everybody because, to begin with, I wasn't really aware of my surroundings because I was very unwell," she said.

"I’ve had three relapses with my bipolar over the years and I always go back to Welsh.

"I speak Welsh to everybody which I'm not aware of so, not being able to speak Welsh to staff members, I found very difficult."

The unit is set to open at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2024

When she recovered, Ms Foulkes started campaigning for a MBU in north Wales to complement another facility, Uned Gobaith in Neath Port Talbot.

She has since contributed to the plans to ringfence two beds for Welsh patients in an eight-bed unit set to open at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2024.

It is set to have some Welsh language services, including bilingual signs and a 24-hour helpline, with priority given to Welsh-speaking staff applying to work there.

Ms Foulkes said it was a "step in the right direction" but didn't go far enough.

"I don’t think two beds is enough for the region," she said.

Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd, Sian Gwenllian, claims there has been a lack of transparency about the decision.

"There is evidence out there - there are mothers who are attending adult psychiatric wards - having to leave their babies at home or in care," she said.

"I'm not sure that that data is being fed into the modelling they're doing.

"I've been asking the questions but I'm not getting those answers at the moment."

She also said that an unit in Wales would also strengthen the care for Welsh speakers.

"I don't think two beds is enough and I really don't think that having the provision in England is the answer to the problems of women from the north of Wales."

But having a facility closer was "great progress", according to Sally Wilson who works for the charity, Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP).

Sally Wilson: "It's quite traumatic to be to be separated at that time"

Ms Wilson, from Felinheli, Gwynedd, was taken to a general psychiatric ward away from her daughter after giving birth in 2015.

"With hindsight, I should have been in a mother and baby unit," she said.

"You get that kind of specialist care and you can get better with your baby and make sure you have that bond and really get well but caring for your baby at the same time.

"It's quite traumatic to be to be separated at that time."

Child welfare charity NSPCC is calling for "a clear commitment made to monitor and review the new MBU once it has opened" to ensure it meets the requirements of the women of north Wales.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said the final decision to commission two beds at the new unit was taken in 2022 after a study also considered the number of women referred to general mental health facilities.

Executive director of public health, Teresa Owen said: "It would be wrong of us to do anything else.

The provision in Chester will be stronger for Welsh speakers, says health boss

"We want to include the voices of the women who have previously been affected as well as looking at data, so it is a qualitative and quantitative approach."

She said research indicated that two in 1,000 women were likely to require such services.

"When you compare that with the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ information, which says a good unit would normally consist of six to eight beds, then for us in north Wales, a unit is not sustainable to ensure the quality."

She also said Welsh language provision had also been taken "seriously" from day one and that "the offer in Chester will be stronger" for Welsh speakers.

The Welsh government said it has invested in specialist perinatal mental health services and was "committed to ensuring this support is available in Welsh", along with Welsh speaking staff.

"There has been significant engagement across the NHS to ensure Welsh language support is available at the new Countess of Chester unit including bilingual literature and signage and access to a Welsh language line 24 hrs a day, seven days a week."