Perinatal mental health service

The service can work with women who are either pregnant or in the first year following the birth of their baby and present with moderate to severe mental health problems or with high risk factors for perinatal mental health problems due to past history or family history are eligible for referral. Women with known history of mental illness on psychotropic medication are eligible for pre-conception counselling and advice.

Our team can assess and advise on the management of women who are in the perinatal period dealing with mental health problems, such as:

• bipolar disorder
• depression
• schizophrenia
• eating disorders
• OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)
• anxiety disorders
• personality disorders
• Puerperal or postpartum psychosis.

Telephone: 020 3513 6577

Fax: 020 3513 4461

Email: ssg-tr.perinatalswlstg@nhs.net

The service provides:

• Comprehensive psychiatric assessment and treatment (preconception, antenatally and postnatally).
• Advice on, and monitoring of, evidence based medication.
• Conjoint inpatient admission for women and their babies (under one year-old), for new mothers experiencing severe mental illness.
• Comprehensive, multidisciplinary inpatient assessment and treatment.
• Psychological assessment and evidence based psychological treatment and counselling for inpatient and outpatients.
• Time-limited, symptom-focused, psycho-educational group work and therapeutic groups for mothers with moderate mental health problems not requiring inpatient treatment.
• Occupational therapy assessment (inpatients only) and support including assessment and development of activities of daily living. Community nursing assessment and support.
• Facilitation of mother infant interaction through bonding interventions and nursery nurse support.
• Advice and support to other mental health services and social services.
• Engagement with local authority when there are issues of child protection, including attendance at child protection conferences.

We are a community service operating from 9-5.

Psychiatric emergencies should be referred should follow the usual emergency care route.

There is a duty person available everyday to answer any queries about referrals and to triage referrals that have been sent.

The perinatal mental health team comprises a comprehensive multidisciplinary team who co-ordinate the assessment, treatment and care of women in our care.

The team comprises of:

• consultant psychiatrists & trainee doctors
• nursery nurses,
• an occupational therapist,
• a social worker
• clinical psychologist,
• Perinatal mental health nurses,
• Administration staff.

The service takes referrals directly from primary care as well as co-working with community mental health teams (CMHTs).

Referrals to the service should be directed to the Multi-disciplinary Team (MDT) which offers care and treatment to women experiencing:

• Antenatal and postnatal affective disorders including depression and bipolar affective disorder.
• Antenatal and postnatal anxiety disorders impacting on pregnancy and childbirth such as tokophobia, perinatal onset OCD and PTSD arising from childbirth.
• Severe and enduring mental illness in the perinatal period.
• Postpartum/puerperal psychosis.
• Mothers experiencing bonding disorders (infants under 1 year).

Referrals can be submitted by either fax or email using the following details. The referral form is available here.

Telephone: 020 3513 6577

Fax: 020 3513 4461

Email: ssg-tr.perinatalswlstg@nhs.net