Estimating resources for setting up an HV service for postnatal depression

Postnatal depression (PND) presents a significant health burden for mothers and their offspring. Research has indicated that screening for PND increases detection (Holden et al, 1989) and also that counselling by health visitors (HVs) is an effective intervention. This article describes a pilot PND screening and treatment project which aimed to assess the resource and organizational implications of introducing new health visiting services modelled on research findings compared with existing practice. The pilot project included approximately 400 new mothers in an inner city multicultural area and confirmed previous findings regarding prevalence of PND (19%) and the effectiveness of brief counselling interventions. It resulted in significantly reduced estimates of the HV resources that would be required to introduce screening as part of the core health-visiting programme. The project also revised expected training requirements and challenged existing concerns about its appropriateness for minority cultural groups.