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Perinatal mental health

The Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service provides assessment and treatment for women who are experiencing or are at an increased chance of experiencing a severe mental health condition during pregnancy and up to one year after birth.

Type

Perinatal mental health
The Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service provides assessment and treatment for women who are experiencing or are at an increased chance of experiencing a severe mental health condition during pregnancy and up to one year after birth (known as the perinatal period).
 
Pre-conception counselling is available for women who have previously experienced a severe mental illness and would like to plan a pregnancy.
 
Who is this service for: Women across Northamptonshire with complex mental health conditions who are planning pregnancy, currently pregnant or have a child under 1 year. (Initial referrals must be made within the first 9 months postpartum). For detailed information on who this service is for please click here.
 
How to access this service: 

Telephone advice – 01604 657735

The Perinatal Service runs Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm. 

A duty worker is available to provide routine and urgent perinatal telephone advice during these hours.  Your details will be taken and a member of the team will contact you within 1 working day.

Routine Referrals

Referrals can be made by any health professional working with a woman. This includes Midwives, Health Visitors, GP’s, Hospital based teams and Mental Health Services. Routine referrals can be made online via the referral form.  A member of the team will review the referral and will respond within 10 working days. If you have not received a response from the team after this time, please call 01604 657735.

Urgent and Emergency Referrals

A clinical member of staff is available to discuss urgent and emergency referrals during working hours. Where the team are unable to carry out an emergency assessment, arrangements will be made for another service to facilitate this.  Out of hours these referrals should be made to either:

•         Urgent Care and Assessment Team (UCAT) - for women in the community

•         Acute Liaison Mental Health Service (ALMHS) - for women presenting at A&E or maternity wards

These teams can be contacted via Berrywood Hospital switchboard on: 01604 682682

 

Contact Details

  • Telephone: 01604 657735

Address

Campbell House, Campbell Square, Northampton, NN1 3EB

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Our service

The team see women in antenatal clinics, children centres and their homes according to women’s need or wishes. The team work closely with other professionals involved to ensure women and their families receive the most appropriate care and interventions. This may include: 

  • Pre-conception counselling
  • Joint obstetric clinics 
  • Prescribing advice 
  • Pre-birth planning 
  • Assessment and signposting on to appropriate intervention and services
  • Psychological Interventions
  • Perinatal outpatient clinics
  • Telephone advice to professionals 
  • Parent infant interventions 
  • Education and training  

The team consists of:

  • Service Manager
  • Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist
  • Perinatal Mental Health Nurses
  • Community Nursery Nurses
  • Occupational Therapist
  • Psychologist
  • Specialist Doctor
  • Team administrators

About you

This service is for women across Northamptonshire with complex mental health conditions who are planning pregnancy, currently pregnant or have a child under 1 year. (Initial referrals must be made within the first 9 months postpartum)

This includes the following:
  • Following discharge from Psychiatric Mother and Baby Units.
  • New episodes of severe mental illness during pregnancy and the first postnatal year (where this is safe and appropriate), including:

                       − Postpartum psychosis, bipolar affective disorder, serious affective disorder and/or other psychoses.

                       − Severe depressive illness

                       − Severe anxiety-based disorders e.g. OCD and panic disorder

  • Women with pre-existing serious mental illness in pregnancy already open to adult mental health services will usually remain under the care of adult mental health services. The Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service will either; advise on management and treatment, take over the care of the woman temporarily or co-work with the psychiatric team, according to individual need and choice.
  • The service only works with women with an alcohol or substance issue if there is also a severe mental illness.
  • Women under 18 years old can be referred if a perinatal mental health condition is the primary presentation. In this instance the perinatal service will work jointly with the local CAMHS service.