About the service
The Perinatal Mental Health Service provides specialist help and support to birthing people with antenatal or postnatal mental health problems, and to the health professionals involved in their care. The Perinatal Community Team works in close collaboration with; the Maternity Mental Health service and the Mother and Baby specialist inpatient unit (Clover Ward).
The multi-professional team consists of consultant perinatal psychiatrists, mental health nurses, psychologists and assistant psychologists, nursery nurses, peer support and carer support workers, occupational therapists, social workers, and an administration team.
We work together to provide specialist care and interventions, in the community, and on our specialist inpatient unit.
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Mental health nurse
Mental health nurses form the core of specialist mental health provision in inpatient and community settings. In addition to core nursing skills, perinatal mental health nurses have a distinctive role in assessing, collaborating and working with women who experience perinatal mental ill health.
Parent Infant Practitioner
Specialist perinatal Parent Infant Practitioners support mum and baby to form a secure bond and attachment. They also provide guidance around the transition to motherhood, how to prepare and support your baby’s social, emotion and physical development.
Rapid response nurse
The role of a rapid response nurse involves acting quickly to communicate with, and assess someone who has become unwell. They will often be the first person to make contact with a patient, particularly when a swift response is needed.
Clinical psychologist
A clinical psychologist supports the team with help creating psychologically informed formulations. Helping make sense of the emotional impact of the clients on the team. Offering community psychological interventions. Psycho-education workshops, therapy groups and 121 therapy.
Social worker
The role of the perinatal social worker is to provide consultation on complex safeguarding cases for the community team, as well as leading on cases where the family have safeguarding issues that may be adding complexity. They can help families to navigate additional support that can be access through statutory services and advocating for those families when other services are involved.
Occupational therapist
An occupational therapist helps people to adjust to the huge transition of becoming a parent, by identifying resources and developing a sense of coherence, self-compassion, and resilience. They can support patients to become more independant themselves, and with their baby. They help with the sensory needs of neurodiversity, physical health, and disability.
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a doctor specifically trained to offer assessment, diagnosis, investigation, treatment and management advice regarding a patients mental health problems. They may visit patients at home or in outpatient clinics and complete follow-up contacts in person or on the telephone.
Peer support worker
A person who has lived experience of a service and are employed to support other patients. They can draw on their own life experiences to provide useful insights for patients, share their journey and support recovery.
Carers peer support worker
A person who has lived experience of caring for someone who has accessed mental health services. They can draw on their own life experiences to provide useful insights for carers, share the journey with a patient’s carer and support them to look after themselves as well as their loved one.
Team secretary/administrator
The secretaries and administrators within a specialist mental health team perform an important role in communication between staff, patients and carers. They also communicate with other services such as GP surgeries and manage new referrals.
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Attachment and Bonding
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Time-limited Therapies
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Birth Planning
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Medication
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Nursing
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Peer and Carer Peer Support
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Please note, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was formed in 2024 when Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, Solent NHS Trust and some services from Isle of Wight NHS Foundation Trust and CAMHS from Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust merged to form a new organisation. You may find some resources reference our legacy organisations.
Podcasts
This link will take you the first in a series of podcasts coproduced by the Perinatal Psychology Team and the Maternal Mental Health Service.
SHP: Maternal Mental Health Matters 'What is Maternal Mental Health?' - YouTube
Drugs in Breastmilk
The Breastfeeding Network is a great resource for information on breastfeeding. This particular article covers information about taking medications and how it affects breastmilk
Drugs In Breastmilk - Is It Safe? - The Breastfeeding Network
Key links
For further information on a particular difficulty or diagnosis, please see the following links:
Mind provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They also campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.
APP (Action on Postpartum Psychosis)
Providing information and support including online forums, peer support and workshops for those affected by postpartum psychosis.
PANDAS (Postnatal Depression Awareness and Support)
The UK’s most recognised and trusted support service for families and their networks who may be suffering with perinatal mental illness, including prenatal (antenatal) and postnatal depression.
Maternal obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a charity co-founded by two mothers, who have experienced and recovered from extreme perinatal OCD.
Maternal Mental Health Alliance
The Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) is a UK-wide charity and network of over 120 organisations, dedicated to ensuring women and families affected by perinatal mental health problems have access to high-quality, comprehensive perinatal mental health care.
Not a definitive list.
How to find us
Perinatal Community Mental Health Team
Southern House
Sparrowgrove
Otterbourne
Hampshire
SO21 2RU
Contact information
Tel: 02382 313000
Email address
Out of hours
The Perinatal Team does not have an out of hours service. If you want to talk to someone about how you're feeling, or what you're experiencing, you can contact:
- 111 - Mental Health Triage Service - can be accessed by calling 111 or online at www.111.nhs.uk
- Samaritans offer a safe place for you to talk any time you like, in your own way – about whatever’s getting to you. Call them on 116 123
- Text SHOUT service. If you’re experiencing a personal crisis, are unable to cope and need support, text SHOUT to 85258. More information available on the SHOUT website.