TY - JOUR T1 - Postnatal care: new NICE guideline for the ‘Cinderella service’ JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 394 LP - 395 DO - 10.3399/bjgp21X716825 VL - 71 IS - 710 AU - Clare Macdonald AU - Sunita Sharma AU - Maija Kallioinen AU - David Jewell Y1 - 2021/09/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/71/710/394.abstract N2 - A National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline for postnatal care1 published in 2021 supersedes its 15-year-old predecessor.2 NICE says ‘Postnatal care has for long been regarded as a “Cinderella service” where in comparison with some other European countries, provision is scanty and inadequate.’ 1 Its publication is timely with the 6–8-week postnatal maternal check now mandated in the GP contract,3 and the results of the 2020 MBRRACE-UK report4 reminding us of the continuing risk to women in the first year after giving birth when most have stopped having contact with specialist services. The postnatal mortality rate is largely unchanged over the last decade: 67% of maternal deaths occur postnatally.4 With suicide a leading cause between 6 weeks and 1 year, timely identification and management of perinatal mental illness is critical. Postnatal care should be sensitive and inclusive for all families and people who have given birth, and NICE highlights the importance of listening to women and parents.In line with Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) guidance to continue postnatal checks, infant examination, and routine childhood vaccinations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,5 it is reassuring that a National Childbirth Trust survey6 found no reduction in numbers of new mothers being offered a GP postnatal check, although given the change in contract this may have been expected to rise. Less encouraging was that 25% of mothers reported they had not been formally asked about their emotional or mental health.The guideline covers the routine postnatal care that women and their babies should receive in the first 8 weeks after the birth. Of particular relevance to GPs are recommendations around the 6–8-week maternal and infant checks. NICE specifies, for the first time, that the … ER -