Perinatal service has a VIP visitor
THE National Mental Health Director of NHS England paid a visit to the Cheshire And Merseyside Specialist Perinatal Service last week, to hear how the service is making a difference to the lives of women and their families across the region.
Halton is part of North West Boroughs Healthcare, one of three local NHS trusts working in partnership to deliver the Perinatal Service, which launched last year.
North West Boroughs Healthcare is joined by Mersey Care and Cheshire And Wirral Partnership.
The perinatal service is based at Hollins Park Hospital in Warrington, and on Friday, June 29, National Mental Health Director of NHS England Claire Murdoch paid a special visit to meet the team.
Ms Murdoch’s visit came following the recent news that the service had been successful in its bid for additional funding from NHS England to build on existing support.
The funding was awarded through a £365m national scheme aiming to ensure that women in every part of the country have access to perinatal mental health services by April 2019.
As well as a presentation from the Cheshire And Merseyside Health And Care Partnership outlining how the three trusts are working collaboratively to deliver perinatal services across the two counties through the partnership’s mental health programme, Ms Murdoch heard from the local teams about the support provided and their journey so far. She also heard powerful presentations from two local woman who has accessed vital support from the service, and had the ● chance to chat to other women who had accessed the service more informally at the end of the event.
Ms Murdoch said: “Mental ill health doesn’t discriminate.
“It can happen to anyone at any time and it disrupts life not just for mums but the whole family, which is why NHS England is absolutely committed to driving forward improvements in care and ensuring this important area of mental health continues to get the attention it deserves.
“Women with lived experience can play a pivotal role when it comes to shaping the services for others so it was great to hear firsthand from women who have accessed the service and hear how it is providing vital support and making a difference to people’s lives across Cheshire and Merseyside.”
A North West Boroughs Healthcare spokesman said: “During pregnancy and in first the year after birth, women can be affected by a range of mental health problems, including anxiety, depression and postnatal psychosis. These are known as perinatal mental illnesses. The Cheshire And Merseyside Specialist Perinatal Service provides support for women with complex or severe mental illnesses during the perinatal period.”
Service user Lee-ann, who shared her story at the event, said: “When I fell pregnant for the second time at the age of 39 after a number of miscarriages and failed IVF treatment, my initial feelings of shock and elation were soon replaced by extreme anxiety.
“After breaking down in my GP’s office one day, he referred me to the specialist perinatal service.”
“I was amazed by how quickly I was seen – my care package kicked in immediately and within two weeks I was attending weekly appointments with my psychologist Ruth, who has been absolutely amazing.”
“The impact the service has had – not just on me but my whole family – is hard to put into words.”
Helen Bellairs, chair of North West Boroughs Healthcare, said: “We were delighted to welcome Claire on Friday and showcase some of the fantastic work the Cheshire And Merseyside Specialist Perinatal Service is doing to support women experiencing mental health problems during the perinatal period and their families.
“The additional funding from NHS England will enable us to enhance this support and continue to provide a high quality, specialist perinatal mental health service for women across Cheshire and Merseyside.”
Sheena Cumiskey, Cheshire And Wirral Partnership chief executive and senior reporting officer of the mental health programme for Cheshire And Merseyside Health And Social Care Partnership, said: “I was delighted to attend this fantastic event at Hollins Park Hospital and it was my pleasure to provide an overview of the mental health programme board’s contribution to this service.
“It is very pleasing to see the service continue to go from strength to strength in its aim to provide excellent specialist perinatal mental health support for women in the Cheshire and Merseyside area.”
Dr Mark Barsoum, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist at Mersey Care said: “The perinatal period is the most critical time for a woman’s mental health.
“We are delighted that we now, following NHS England’s investment, can offer a gold standard, evidence-based service for all the women and families of Merseyside”.