Extend Mother and Baby Units to admit mothers with babies older than 1 year
Currently Mother and Baby Units admit mothers until their baby is 1 years old. We want the Government to review this and extend this past the 1-year mark.
Signatures
73
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 73/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 73/100,000
- 16 MAR 2026Petition opened for signaturesCreated by Michaela Taylor
Background
In our view, some mothers are being discharged from Mother and Baby Units while still severely unwell, leading to prolonged postnatal mental illness. I was discharged while actively suicidal, and my recovery took almost four years. As the postnatal period is recognised as lasting up to two years, specialist MBU funding must extend to reflect this clinical reality.