Maternal Mental Health: improving the lives of mothers and their infants

Maria BavettaEveryone’s Business Campaign Communications Officer

Maternal Mental Health Alliance

A coalition of over fifty UK organisations committed to improving the mental

health and wellbeing of women and their children in pregnancy and the first

postnatal year

Awareness

All women and partners who are expecting a baby or considering starting

a family are aware of the full range of emotional and mental health issues

involved and know where to seek the right support and services, for

themselves or others

Education

Perinatal mental health is discussed as openly and regularly as physical health.All women are asked about their mental

health by the health and social care professionals seeing them or their

children and are referred appropriately in line with national guidance.

Action

All women in the UK have access to NICE/SIGN compliant mental

healthcare during pregnancy and postnatally, so that women and

children no longer suffer the serious negative consequences of avoidable

and treatable mental health problems at this time

New resource published!

For maternity managers and commissioners looking to:

• introduce or strengthen the Specialist Mental Health Midwife role in their local service

Available now from the Maternal Mental Health Alliance website

1. What is a leading cause of maternal mortality?

3. How many women died just in London in 2012 / 13 as a result of a perinatal mental illness?

2. How many women will develop a perinatal mental Illness?(i.e. mental illness during pregnancy or first postpartum year)

Questions for Reflection

What can Maternity services do?

1. Strategic Leadership: perinatal mental health strategies need to include maternity AND mental health

2. Regular perinatal mental health training for all midwives, health visitors, obstetricians and gynaecologists; including in local care pathway

3. Specialist advanced training for Specialist Mental Health Midwives & Health Visitor Champions

What can Maternity services do?

4. Easy access to (and formal representation on) specialist perinatal mental health teams (who will in turn be linked to a psychiatric mother & baby unit)

5. Information, information, information! Pregnancy and postpartum literature & classes often alarmingly missing-out mental health completely

Exciting News!

• National 3 year campaign funded by Comic Relief to improve perinatal mental health services launching online the Summer!

• Everyone’s Business • Parity • Cost

Collate data, guidance, researchProvide practical resources to support

commissioning of Perinatal Mental Health ServicesMap specialist perinatal mental health servicesShowcase solutions and examples of best practiceLaunch a report on the economic case for action

maria@app-network.org

07807 130878