A HUSBAND has called on the health secretary Andrew Lansley to start an investigation into the NHS treatment of his dead wife.

Chris Bingley’s wife Joanne Bingley, 39, was suffering from severe postnatal depression (PND) when she killed herself by stepping in front of a train near to Deighton Railway Station.

Mr Bingley from Fartown claims his wife was failed by the local NHS – which he claims is ignoring international guidelines on PND treatment and is accountable for her death.

The father – who now is a single parent to 18-month-old daughter Emily – has written to Mr Lansley MP asking him to hold an investigation.

He claims Mrs Bingley’s PND was so severe that she should have been offered care in a hospital instead of having to cope at home.

And he says he was given no advice or support as her main carer.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has a list of standards that NHS organisations are “expected to meet”.

One of these standards states that if depression is severe doctors should refer patients to a mental health team and, occasionally, admission to hospital may be needed.

NHS policy and standards guidance also says that seriously ill women whose needs cannot be met by primary care will require the assistance of specialist perinatal psychiatric services and sometimes admission to a specialist mother and baby psychiatric unit.

Mr Bingley says his wife was never informed of or given access to specialist perinatal psychiatric services – and claims if she had been she wouldn’t have killed herself back in April last year.

Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman is supporting Mr Bingley’s campaign and knows friends who have suffered from PND in the past.

He has tabled questions in Parliament on the subject of treatment for PND.

He said: “It’s tragic that Mr Bingley’s wife lost her life as a result of PND – I know from my experience over the years how dreadful PND is.

“I know that talking to colleagues and to experts that this is a problem and I’ve just tabled some questions on whether there are sufficient resources for PND.

“We need to find out how much of a postcode lottery it is and how seriously we take it.

“It is more common than people think and it needs more public awareness and better availability of local services to recognise it and there needs to be more referral to experts.”

An inquest into Mrs Bingley’s death recorded a verdict of suicide.

Her tragic death came just 10 weeks after the birth of her “miracle” daughter Emily.

She and Mr Bingley had been “over-the-moon” when Emily was born after years of trying to get pregnant.

But Mrs Bingley soon developed PND – and had serious problems bonding with her newborn baby.

She ended her life by stepping in front of a train.

Mr Bingley is determined that daughter Emily will not suffer the same fate as her mother.

And the management consultant has ploughed a lot of his own money into setting up the Joe Bingley Memorial Foundation to help others suffering from the condition.

Visit www.joebingleymemorialfoundation.org.uk for more information.