Health Professionals

The list below sets out a number of tools and resources which might be useful for health professionals working with women and families in the perinatal period.

Please note, we are currently working to create an interactive resources hub to help professional audiences find the most useful resources for their work.  The resources hub will also reflect the key resources available in each of the devolved nations and will be launched in the coming months, replacing these temporary pages of the website.

Online training

E-Learning for Health Care modules on perinatal mental health

This Perinatal Mental Health programme has been designed to help educate and increase awareness of issues arising from perinatal mental health. It has two parts. There are sessions designed specifically for Health Visitors, and five more general sessions aimed at raising awareness and understanding of mental health problems in the perinatal period for any professionals who may come into contact with women during this time. This programme was developed by the Institute for Health Visiting, Royal College of GPs and Department of Health.

Learning modules on maternal mental health

The Maternal and Child Health and Psychology teams at NHS Education for Scotland produced two modules of online training around perinatal mental health. Each module represents around 2.5 hours of learning and will be of interest to anyone who works with pregnant women and new families, including health visitors, midwives, GPs, obstetricians, paediatricians, neonatal nurses, mental health teams, substance misuse teams, psychologists and third sector organisations.

Module One: Understanding maternal mental health
Module Two: Maternal mental health: the woman’s journey

Campaign for change

The MMHA Everyone’s Business campaign calls for all women throughout the UK who experience perinatal mental health problems to receive the care they and their families need, wherever and whenever they need it.

Click here to see specific campaign resources and how you can take action in your local area.

Fatherhood Institute report

The Fatherhood Institute have produced a report ‘Who’s the bloke in the room? Fathers during pregnancy and at the birth in the UK’ by Adrienne Burgess and Rebecca Goldman.

Download the full report

Download the executive summary

Resources for specific health professional groups

GPs

Falling through the gaps: Perinatal Mental Health and General Practice (RCGP)

Perinatal Mental Health Toolkit (RCGP)

 

HEALTH VISITORS

Specialist Health Visitors in Perinatal and Infant Mental Health: What they do and why they matter (HEE)

 

IAPT

Perinatal Positive Practice Guide 2013 (IAPT)

 

MIDWIVES

Caring for Women with Perinatal Mental Health Problems: Standards and Competency Framework (RCM)

Specialist Mental Health Midwives: What they do and why they matter (MMHA, RCM and NSPCC)

 

OBSTETRICIANS

Management of Women with Mental Health Issues during Pregnancy and the Postnatal Period (Good Practice No. 14) (RCOG)

 

PSYCHIATRISTS

Perinatal mental health services: recommendations for the provision of services for childbearing women (RCPsych)

 

SPECIALIST PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

MABIM Leaders’ Top Tips Report on Developing a Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Community Service

 

SPECIALIST PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Service Standards for Perinatal Mental Health Community Services (3rd edition) (CCQI, RCPysch)

 

SPECIALIST PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Service Standards for Mother and Baby Units (4th edition) (CCQI, RCPysch)

Networks and Forums in England

Regional Strategic Clinical Networks for Perinatal Mental Health provide clinicians and commissioners with leadership and support to improve perinatal mental health services. Strategic Clinical Networks for perinatal mental health sit within wider Maternity or Mental Health networks. The networks seek to coordinate the expertise of commissioners, healthcare providers, academics, policy makers and families to deliver quality improvements in outcomes and patient experience. You can find out more about your local clinical network through the NHS England website.

Clinicians in universal and primary care services will also find it useful to look at the Maternal Mental Health Network which provides resources, news and online forums to support those working in services that support women with perinatal mental health problems.

For those working in specialist perinatal mental health services, the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Quality Network for Perinatal Mental Health Services works with specialist perinatal mental health teams to improve the quality of mental health care for new mothers.