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.”