Perinatal Mental Health

What We Have Achieved In The Last 6 Months:

• Surveyed women regarding experiences and perceptions of mental health questions asked by Midwives and Health Visitors and General Practitioners to highlight and learn from areas of good practice and identify any areas of improvement that may impact on prevention of PMH illness, awareness of PMH illness and access to PMH and MMHS services.
• Surveyed NHS Talking Therapies services (formally IAPT) regarding provision in the Perinatal Period. A piece of bespoke work to establish the NHS Talking Therapies service provision for women and partners during the perinatal period with the aim of identifying unwarranted variation, positive practice and areas for development.
• Organised a NEY advancing equality and inequity in the perinatal period webinar. To share learning and positive practice across the perinatal pathway, understand approaches to engaging with seldom heard communities across the perinatal pathway, understand our local population, communities and representation within our services and understand plans to address any identified gaps and shape services to make them more accessible.
• Established a Yorkshire and the Humber Cultural Competencies Task and Finish Group. To scope training currently available and develop a PMH specific training resource/tools/session and to test and evaluate any training developed.
• Organised a Perinatal Mental Health Provider Collaboratives Shared Learning Event. The event included an update on the national ambitions aligned to Perinatal Mental Health (PMH) Provider Collaboratives, national and regional speakers and learning and best practice examples shared from Phase 1 Provider Collaboratives and PMH Provider Collaboratives. It also provided an opportunity to discuss any ongoing challenges and provided networking opportunities for services across Yorkshire and the Humber.
• Working with the Y&H Maternity Clinical Network, the data set for the maternity enhanced and critical care (MEaCC) pathway and maternal medicine pathway has been updated to include mental health conditions and referrals to PMH and MMHS.
• Developed a Perinatal Mental Health and Maternal Mental Health Services relevant campaign calendar 23-24 Y&H CN PMH Awareness Calendar

What We Plan To Do In The Next 6 Months:

• Host a series of sharing and learning webinars. E.g. provider collaboratives, cultural awareness.
• Support the mobilisation of the Yorkshire and the Humber Perinatal Mental Health Provider Collaborative (Y&H PMH PC), Yorkshire and the Humber Clinical Network are providing interim programme support. This support includes preparation for 'go live' status of the Provider Collaborative, liaising with national and regional NHSE colleagues to ensure clear expectations and deliverables for all, stakeholder engagement across Y&H and establishing applicable project groups, and crucially support arrangements for co-production of the Provider Collaborative.
• PMH Care Pathway Assessment. This will contribute to preparatory work for PMH Provider Collaboratives in identifying what is working well and where there are gaps or improvements that could be made.
• Scoping options to deliver regional Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing and Video Interactive Guidance supervision for those working within PMH services. This work was identified as a priority by Y&H services.
• Recruitment and retention of PMH practitioners - Working with PMH Service Leads and North East and Yorkshire Mental Health Workforce Lead. Surveyed B6 PMH Care Coordinators. To agree next steps collaboratively with B6 PMH Care Coordinators.