Summer 2022 Everyone’s Business eBulletin out now!

The MMHA Summer 2022 eBulletin has all the latest news from our Everyone’s Business campaign and the UK perinatal mental health (PMH) community, including:

    1. New research into perinatal workforce gaps
    2. PMH service developments from across the UK
    3. New resources from MMHA member Refugee Women Connect to help health professionals provide better care for pregnant women in the asylum system.

Download now

Please share widely on social media, tagging @MMHAlliance and #EveryonesBusiness.

 

See previous editions here.

 

Parity between mental and physical health is fundamental to getting it right for women, babies and families

By Laura Seebohm, CEO

I joined the wonderful Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) earlier this year, new to the world of perinatal mental health. I’ve been blown away by the incredible commitment and passion of the perinatal mental health sector – whether I talk to charities, experts by experience, specialist teams in Mother and Baby Units (MBUs), obstetricians on maternity wards, policymakers and politicians – people involved with perinatal mental health come with vitality, energy, and determination for our purpose. I hope that everyone realises how valuable and now refreshing this is.

With many years in the women and girls sector, this is not a totally new landscape but the biggest surprise for me, coming specifically into the maternal mental health sector, was just how huge the distance is between investment, data and attention given to maternal mental health compared to physical health for new and expectant mothers.

In recent months, various new consultations and initiatives have been announced focusing on women’s health in England, Scotland, and Wales. The recent publication of the Women’s Health Strategy for England, the Maternity Disparities Taskforce, and the appointment of Lesley Regan as Women’s Health Ambassador are important milestones in addressing the health inequalities women face. Continue reading Parity between mental and physical health is fundamental to getting it right for women, babies and families

Black Maternal Mental Health Week 2022

What is Black Maternal Mental Health Week #BMMHW22?

Equity in Black Women's Maternal Mental Health Journey 26th Sep - 3rd OctBlack Maternal Mental Health Week UK was launched to raise awareness, highlight disparities, provide resources, and break cultural barriers in maternal mental health for Black mothers.

When is Black Maternal Mental Health Week?

The third annual BMMHW will take place from Monday 26 September – Sunday 2 October 2022.

Who is it organised by?

The week is coordinated and led by Maternal Mental Health Alliance member, The Motherhood Group. Continue reading Black Maternal Mental Health Week 2022

Government publishes 10-year Women’s Health Strategy for England

“When we get it right for women, everyone in our society benefits.”
– Professor Dame Lesley Regan, Women’s Health Ambassador

Today, the Government released their first ‘Women’s Health Strategy for England‘, detailing:

    • their ambitions over the next 10 years
    • actions they are taking now to improve the health and wellbeing of women and girls in England.

From March to June 2021, the Government held a call for evidence to inform the strategy’s development. They received nearly 100,000 responses from women across the country, and over 400 written submissions from organisations and experts in health and care. The Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) and many of its members were among the submissions, bringing attention to women’s mental health needs before, during and after pregnancy. Continue reading Government publishes 10-year Women’s Health Strategy for England

Trustee Recruitment: doing things differently

“What we do is more important than what we say, or what we say we believe.”
Bell Hooks (2014)

The Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) Board has recently recruited three new trustees. This has brought us to what will be many milestones in our journey to ensure equity, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of everything we do.

We set out from the start to do this recruitment very differently and, in this blog, we want to share what we have learned along the way. Continue reading Trustee Recruitment: doing things differently

A Year of Hope: the impact of Uned Gobaith in its first year

On 19 April 2021, the inpatient mother and baby unit (MBU) Uned Gobaith/Unit of Hope opened its doors for the first time to women, babies, and families in Wales affected by severe perinatal mental health problems.

After many years of working alongside other organisations and women and families with lived experience to campaign for an MBU in Wales, the opening of Uned Gobaith marked a significant step forward in ensuring that women needing specialist inpatient support in Wales could access this vital provision closer to home.

At the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA), we wanted to mark the one-year anniversary of Uned Gobaith opening and bring to light the difference it has made to women and their families in Wales. We worked in partnership with MMHA member, NSPCC Cymru/Wales, the staff at Uned Gobaith and the Swansea Bay University Health Board to host a two-hour webinar to celebrate all of the hard work and commitment of those working on and with Uned Gobaith. Continue reading A Year of Hope: the impact of Uned Gobaith in its first year

A safe space to talk about perinatal mental health

Guest blog by Tracey Stone, Head of Parent Supporters at Netmums

Netmums is clear that specialist support and services for perinatal mental health are essential.

As one of the UK’s most diverse, inclusive, and supportive parenting communities, attracting millions of unique users to the site every month, Netmums is acutely aware of how great perinatal mental health needs are. We engage with our community across social media as well as on the site, listening to parents’ worries, and signposting to appropriate and reliable support. Continue reading A safe space to talk about perinatal mental health

Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2022

When is Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2022?

Monday 13 – Sunday 19 June 2022

What is Infant Mental Health Awareness Week (IMHAW)?

IMHAW takes place in June every year, providing an opportunity for those working in the infant mental health sector to raise awareness of the importance of babies’ social and emotional development, and to share work they are doing.

Who is it organised by?

The week is organised and led by MMHA member the Parent-Infant Foundation, who bring together and support the infant mental health sector, provide clinical leadership and campaign for policy change.

What is this year’s theme?

The overall theme of IMHAW 2022 is ‘Understanding Early Trauma’. See Parent-Infant Foundation’s calendar for a list of planned activities.

Get involved

Visit the Parent-Infant Foundation website to find out how you can get involved and for examples of how parent-infant teams and organisations have marked IMHAW in the past.

 

Black women in the UK experience maternity discrimination and mixed care, according to a new report from Five X More

A new survey from campaigning organisation Five X More has found that Black women in the UK continue to experience discrimination and are receiving a mixed level of maternity care during the antenatal, labour, and postnatal period.

Studies, such as MBRRACE-UK’s annual Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths, have consistently shown disparities between Black and white women’s maternal experiences and outcomes. However, the reasons for the differences remain unclear and under-researched. Continue reading Black women in the UK experience maternity discrimination and mixed care, according to a new report from Five X More

The Maternal Mental Health Alliance celebrates 10 years of creating change for women and families

On Thursday 19 May, staff and trustees came together with Members, Lived Experience Champions and Perinatal Mental Health professionals to celebrate MMHA’s belated 10th anniversary. It was incredibly special to share the same physical space, reflect on our collective achievements and look to the future of the Alliance. Continue reading The Maternal Mental Health Alliance celebrates 10 years of creating change for women and families