SERIOUS gaps in the care of women who are suffering from symptoms of postnatal depression have been highlighted by a new report.

Most health boards do not have a single midwife or health visitor who has received accredited training in the mental health problems which can strike mothers around the time of childbirth, according to the research.

Children's charity NSPCC Scotland and staff forum Maternal Mental Health Scotland, who are behind the report, are calling for the Scottish Government to take action saying improvements will protect two generations - the vulnerable mothers and their children.

Joanne Smith, policy and public affairs manager for NSPCC Scotland, said the two organisations decided to look into the issue amid concern there was a crack between good policy about the care of patients with perinatal mental health problems and "what was being delivered on the ground."

"We knew from talking to professionals it is often very difficult to get access to services," she said - adding that even when specialist support was available "there was no guarantee" vulnerable women would be signposted to the right place.

Every year between 5500 and 8000 women in Scotland suffer from depression and anxiety during and shortly after pregnancy. However, the NSPCC Scotland research found guidelines on training professionals about the problem which were introduced 10 years ago had not been widely implemented.

They found 71 per cent of health boards still do not have any midwives or health visitors with accredited perinatal mental health training. Just five Scottish health boards had a specialist community perinatal mental health service - and the future of one of these is uncertain.

Their report also said coverage of the subject in core maternity and health visiting education programmes can be as little as three hours.

The research, which involved a survey of key staff across all 14 Scottish health boards, found there was an appetite to meet care guidelines and a number of improvements had been made since the last snapshot of provision was taken in 2004.

Elaine Clark, chair of Maternal Mental Health Scotland, said: "Scotland has made great progress in developing services for women, and their families, who experience perinatal mental illness. However, this report highlights that significant gaps remain, particularly in the lack of community specialised services."

Rosey Wren, a mother of three living in the Western Isles, said she suffered depression before and after each of her children were born, but was never offered extra support from the health visiting service.

"I had to go to the doctor and ask for antidepressants, but there was not anything else available," she said. "I only found out later that when I had my first two children there was a perinatal depression peer support group available, but I was not told about it. I was actually really angry. Why did no-one help me? It would have helped instantly with the isolation factor."

With her youngest son now two-and-a-half, Ms Wren runs a support network for mums with the problem on Twitter. She said: "Deccent support in some areas would make such a difference. It is such a postcode lottery."

The report "Getting it Right for Mothers and Babies" lists a number of recommendations including all health boards having a local, specialist service, regular training for all staff in the maternity field, and rapid access to talking therapies for women affected.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "It is encouraging that the NSPCC recognises that Scotland is making more progress in supporting pregnant women and new mothers with mental health problems than the other UK nations.

"But we are absolutely committed to doing more. Staff are trained to recognise when a pregnant woman or new mother is experiencing mental health problems, and mechanisms are in place for them to be referred to mental health services.

"The national mental health strategy and guidelines for health professionals supporting mothers experiencing mental health problems also ensure the NHS delivers safe and effective care.

"It is up to boards to ensure that they have the correct staffing in place to provide the high standards of care we expect for new mums - and the Scottish Government is clear that must include appropriate mental health care."