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MP Charlie Elphicke asks Prime Minister on World Maternal Mental Health Day for more help for mums

An MP has directly asked the Prime Minister for more help for new mums with mental health problems.

Charlie Elphicke, MP for Dover, raised the tragedy of one woman who took her own life.

He spoke out today, which is World Maternal Mental Health Day.

Sroll down to watch the woman's family calling for more support

Rebecca Kruza with baby Henry
Rebecca Kruza with baby Henry

Theresa May, responding during Prime Minister's Questions, said the government was working to help mothers in such cases.

Mr Elphicke said in the House of Commons: "In 2017 Rebecca Kruza tragically took her own life.

"She had her whole life ahead of her but she suffered from post-natal depression.

"Her son will now grow up never knowing his mother.

"Many mothers returning to work suffer mental health challenges while seeking to juggle the demands of work and parenting.

"Today is World Maternal Mental Health Day.

"Does the Prime Minister agree we need to do more to support the mental health of parents, and mothers, returning to work and will she back Rebecca's family's campaign for more specialist mother and baby mental health care units in Kent and across the country as a whole?"

Prime Minister Theresa May
Prime Minister Theresa May

Mrs May offered the House's condolences to Ms Kruza's family and agreed the issues of post-natal depression and people returning to work and having to balance childcare and work responsibilities were important.

She continued: "We are looking at a new returners programme to help those who are returning into the workplace.

"I know the minister responsible for mental health is also doing some very good work looking at this whole question of mental health provision, particularly for mothers with young babies.

"This is an area that the government is looking at in a number of ways.

"And we will aim to ensure that nobody else suffers in the way that his constituent and her family did."

Charlie Elphicke
Charlie Elphicke

Ms Kruza, 39, of Hawkinge, died at her mother Lyn Richardson's home in Alkham in June 2017.

Her son Henry was then just eight-months-old.

She had no previous history of mental health issues and was also awaiting an urgent referral to the Mother and Infant Mental Health Service.

This arrived with her GP on the day she died.

Her family has since campaigned to improve perinatal care.

At an inquest last year coroner Alan Blunsden concluded that the suicide could not have been prevented.

But he has since ordered a Regulation 28 report by the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) to explain how it will improve postnatal care.

He said that future deaths would occur unless action was taken.

KMPT said that it had been commissioned to open an eight-bed mother and baby unit in Dartford last year.

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