About the service
Our Perinatal Mental Health Services provide help and support for mothers experiencing severe mental illness through a programme of treatment and support in the community and in our specialist inpatient unit.
Clover Mother and Baby Unit supports women experiencing serious mental health difficulties from 32 weeks pregnant up until one year post-natal.
The team is specifically trained to support women and their families within the perinatal period. During your admission, the team provide a patient-centred treatment plan which may involve medication review, psychological assessment and individual and group therapy as appropriate, Nurse-led psychological interventions, Childcare Practitioner-led interventions, and support from a Health Visitor and Social Worker.
The team also support in the transition from the hospital to the home environment.
Building on periods of home leave is an essential part of the recovery process and the team will work with you as a family to plan time at home and do this in a graded way having time after to reflect on what went well and any areas that were difficult. Prior to discharge, a crisis and safety plan will be completed which will include who to contact if things start to deteriorate and go into crisis.
The team always aim to have a discharge planning meeting which is called a CPA (Care Planning Approach). This is a chance for MBU and community teams to all get together and feedback on how things are going and look at what support is needed at home. Providing there is consent to share, you will be invited.
What we do
Whilst staying at Clover Mother and Baby Unit, you will have your own room with a bed, wardrobe, armchair and cot for your baby. All rooms have an en-suite bathroom with bath and shower and there is also a lounge, a dining room with highchairs, a nursery room with toys, laundry and ironing room and an enclosed garden with a play area. In
addition, there is a kitchen for you to prepare feeds for your baby and hot and cold drink-making facilities for you to help yourself.
On arrival, you will be given a tour of the unit and the team will introduce you to everyone. You’ll have a ‘named nurse’ as your main point of contact but all of the team will be there to help. Each week you'll be invited to a ward round meeting to contribute to your care planning – we want you to have a real say in your care.
How to find us
Clover Ward (Mother and Baby Unit)
Melbury Lodge
Romsey Road
Winchester
SO22 5DG
Contact information
Tel: 01962 897711 (Mother And Baby Unit)
Tel: 01962 897700 (Melbury Reception)
Email address
Out of hours
Here on Clover, we are a 24/7 service so you can contact us via phone at any time.
Clover Mother and Baby Unit team is made up of lots of different roles all specialising in perinatal mental health. Staff you might come across include consultant psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, mental health nurses, childcare practitioners, an occupational therapist, a health visitor, health care support workers, an activities coordinator, junior doctors, a ward manager and a ward administrator. We also have access to peer support workers, carer peer support workers, pharmacists, and a chaplain. We work together to provide specialist mental health care to help support women and their families during the perinatal stages.
You will have free access to our ward courtyard, if you wish to have time off the ward, this will be care planned with the nursing team. If you are under the Section of a Mental Health Act, your leave will need to be granted under Section 17 of the act and authorised by a Consultant Psychiatrist.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a smoke-free organisation which prohibits smoking on Trust grounds, therefore you would need to go off hospital grounds to smoke. The Trust does not consider e-Cigarettes in the same way as tobacco products as they do not carry the same health risks as smoking, therefore you are able to vape in the courtyard.
We have an activities co-ordinator, that facilitates a variety of activities such as cooking, crafting, local walks, exercise groups and various baby activities.
Accessing the service
How to refer
We use a national referral system; referrals must be completed by Mental Health professionals, and be sent to our ward email for triage. Please contact the ward if you have any questions on this process.
If you are worried about you or your family members mental health during the perinatal period, please contact your GP for support or advice.
Further information
Family and Friends
Mothers and their babies need as much support and help from friends and families as possible, particularly if they're suffering from mental health problems.
Our visiting hours are therefore flexible but, generally speaking, are from 11.30am to 8pm (Monday to Friday, except 3-4pm) and 10am to 8pm at weekends.