A new mother is calling for better access to specialist units caring for women and babies after she was forced to travel 90 miles for emergency care during a mental health crisis.
Four days after giving birth, 30-year-old Lizzy Berryman’s postpartum psychosis forced her to be sectioned and taken from York to Derby while « soaked in urine » in a hospital car.
Some women from Yorkshire have been sent as far as London for specialist care at mother and baby units (MBU) due to availability issues, according to NHS information.
« It’s lit a fire in me to get the word out there that this is a problem and that it is so needed, because there are so many families torn apart, » Lizzy said.
Unable to sleep after a traumatic birth in 2024, Lizzy quickly deteriorated into a state of psychosis – a potentially life-threatening condition that can cause hallucinations, severe insomnia and paranoia.
« I was getting increasingly anxious and confused. I couldn’t make a cup of tea or change Patrick’s nappy, » Lizzy, from York, said.
« I started screaming, I ran at the windows. I thrashed about on the floor for hours and I thought I was in hell. »
Her family restrained her at home for two hours while waiting for an ambulance, with Lizzy sectioned under the Mental Health Act at York Hospital’s emergency department.
She said her family were told there were no available beds in Leeds – Yorkshire’s only MBU – with Lizzy sent to the closest available unit able to treat psychosis and severe postnatal depression.
« I was soaked in my own urine because I’d been pushing as if I was giving birth again every time I was in psychosis, » she said.
Lizzy began eight weeks of intensive treatment in Derby, with husband Adam and her relatives spending thousands of pounds on nearby accommodation.
Adam’s paternity leave ended and his daily visits had to stop.
« I felt really lonely, » she recalled.
« I didn’t have my home comforts around me and I needed Adam, he was missing out on a lot.
There were a lot of firsts that Adam was missing out on, and I needed him as well – I was in a depression. »
Lizzy gradually stabilised and her section was lifted, but she believed being so far from home prolonged her recovery.
« I was so vulnerable at that time and I needed to be somewhere I could feel safe, » she said.
« If I’d been near York I could have seen friends and family and started integrating back into real life. »
Lizzy, who has since recovered fully and has returned to work, praised MBU staff in Derby for « saving » her life, but is campaigning for more MBUs across the country.
Responding to a BBC Freedom of Information request, NHS data showed around 100 women from across Yorkshire were sent to MBUs outside of their local area over the last five years – with some forced to travel to Birmingham and London.
Aylesbury MP Laura Kyrke-Smith, whose close friend took her own life after having a baby, called access a « postcode lottery » with some areas « complete deserts ».
« The statistics sadly remain that suicide is the leading cause of death for women from six weeks to a year after giving birth, which is shocking and appalling, » she said.
« MBUs are the right model of care and any woman who needs it should be able access it. »
The unit in Leeds only has eight beds, though it is expanding to 14 in the coming months.
Dr Jessica Heron, chief executive officer of the Action on Postpartum Psychosis charity, said: « In places where people can’t access MBUs we know they’re likely to be admitted to a general psychiatric unit and that’s totally inappropriate for newly delivered mothers.
« We hear of families very often who are travelling two or three hours for that specialist care. The risks are that women and families turn down that care. »
Responding to the raised concerns, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: « Women experiencing severe mental illness after giving birth should receive compassionate, specialist care as quickly as possible, close to home.
« While decisions about the location of mother and baby units are made by local trusts, a wide range of support is available for new and expectant mothers, including access to specialist perinatal services which are available in all areas in England.
« We know demand has increased, which is why we are continuing to expand mental health services with an extra £688m this financial year, hiring almost 8,000 mental health workers and expanding NHS talking therapies. »
A spokesperson for NHS England in North East and Yorkshire said: « MBUs are commissioned as specialised services and based on concentrated clinical expertise, which is achieved by operating from a single, well-resourced unit – in this case, Leeds. This model supports consistent, safe, high-quality care across the region.
« This provider collaborative model supports collaboration across all Yorkshire and Humber integrated care boards, recognising that some areas are further from the regional MBU and that joint working is essential to overcome access barriers. »
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC’s Action Line.
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