New Community Perinatal Mental Health Service for mums in Lancashire and South Cumbria

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust is launching a brand new, specialist community perinatal mental health service which will support new and expectant mums living in Lancashire and South Cumbria.

The brand new service will launch from January 2019 and will offer psychiatric and psychological assessments and care for women with complex or severe mental health problems during pregnancy up to one year after giving birth. The service will also provide pre-conception advice for women with a current or past severe mental illness who are planning a pregnancy. The Trust is one of 35 new sites across the country to have been awarded funding, as part of a drive by NHS England to enable access to specialist perinatal mental health community services across the country by April 2019.

Dr Gillian Strachan, Consultant Psychiatrist at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust and Clinical Lead for the perinatal mental health North West Coast Strategic Clinical Network said:

"This additional £1.3 million investment for specialist community perinatal mental health services will mean that women across Lancashire and South Cumbria will be able to access high quality services when and where they need it.

“We are determined to work in partnership across the region to make sure that women and babies are given the best start in life and this is a positive step towards that. It’s a much needed addition to the investment in the Cumbria and Lancashire Mother and Baby Unit which we launched earlier this month.”

The team will be made up of a variety of different health professionals including psychiatrists, specialist nurses, psychologists, psychotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers and dedicated administrators who will work together to provide a comprehensive service to mums and their infants, depending on their individual needs. The team will also work closely with the Trust’s Perinatal Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) and existing services across maternity, mental health and health visiting.

The Trust is looking to coproduce this specialist service with stakeholders living in Cumbria and is holding an event so that you can have your say in this exciting development. If you are interested in attending, please www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/specialist-community-perinatal-event-tickets-50217056568 and confirm your attendance. For more information about this exciting development please visit www.lancashirecare.nhs.uk/perinatal-mental-health.