New and expectant mothers across the UK now have access to specialist mental health care in the area where they live, NHS England has announced.

The increased number of specialist perinatal community services across the whole of England, means that mums and expecting mums who are experiencing anxiety, depression or other forms of mental ill health should be able to access high quality care much closer to home.

According to the NHS, one in four women will experience ill mental health during pregnancy. Previously, two in five parts of the country had no access to specialist community perinatal mental health treatment. Now there are services available in every one of the 44 local NHS areas. Four new mother and baby units have also been opened.

Claire Murdoch, NHS national mental health director said: “As well as expanding access to world-leading talking therapy for anyone who needs it – the NHS Long Term Plan is further ramping up specialist perinatal care for every part of the country, offering tailored support to dads and partners and extending care to cover the first two years of a child’s life.”

According to the NHS, future plans aim to have an additional 54,000 women with moderate and complex, to severe mental health difficulties per year having access to the correct care as close to home as possible by 2023-24.