The Perinatal Community Service supports women with severe and/or complex mental health issues in the perinatal period.
We are able to offer, psychiatric, psychological and occupational therapy assessment and interventions, care for service users with moderate to complex or severe perinatal mental health problems during pregnancy and up to two years after giving birth.
We provide mental health assessment and advice to partners of service users as well as family, co-parenting, couple and parent-infant interventions and peer support.
The service also provides pre-conception advice for women with a current or past severe mental illness who are of child bearing age.
We aim to achieve the following waiting times:
Emergency referrals: within 4 hours
Urgent referrals: within 2 working days.
Routine referrals: within 28 days.
Preconception counselling: within 6 weeks.
Referrals
Guidance and advice can be obtained by ringing the Specialist Perinatal Community Mental Health Team Duty Worker Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm excluding bank holidays.
Pennine telephone: 01254 612 731
Central and West telephone: 01772 520 733
North Lancashire and South Cumbria telephone: 01524 550 887
- Preconception advice for Service users who have currently or who have had in the past a severe mental health problem and are of childbearing age.
- Service users who are pregnant or who have given birth within the last 12 months who present with severe/complex mental health problems. Women may remain under the care of the service for up to 24 months when receiving psychological therapies.
- Service users who are pregnant or who have given birth within the last 12 months with a history of severe/complex mental health problems, who may be at risk of relapse. For service users who have been open to perinatal in the 12 months postnatal can be referred for a perinatal review if they relapse within the 24 postnatal period.
- Service users who have given birth within the last 24 months, presenting with any of the perinatal service inclusion criteria, that were missed in the first 12 months postnatal. In these circumstances, the service may offer a one-off assessment to support care planning with the referring team or advice on signposting to the most appropriate service.
Moderate level of perinatal mental health symptoms present and one or more of the following:
- History of severe mental illness, or first degree relative with SMI.
- Significant Risk of postnatal relapse identified
- Risk / Perinatal Red Flags identified
- Comorbidity exists such as in the case of physical health, alcohol/ substance misuse, disordered eating, complex trauma or personality disorder, a learning disability (alongside mental health symptoms).
- Has completed talking therapy approaches in the last 6months, with little effect.
- Has tried psychotropic medications with little effect.
- Significant self-harm or repeated suicidal ideation.
- Significant impact on parent-infant relationship/bonding.
- Significant level of distress, related to mental health symptoms.
- Significant impact on level of functioning, related to mental health symptoms.
- Service users who are pregnant or who have given birth within the past 24 months who present with mild anxiety or depression. In these instances, a referral should be made through to access appropriate Talking Therapies.
- Service users who have a primary diagnosis of substance misuse unless there is a comorbid significant perinatal mental health problem.
- Service users presenting exclusively with adjustment disorders in response to complex social problems.
- Service users presenting with exclusively adjustment disorders in response to traumatic birth, foetal loss or primary non-complex tocophobia.
- Service users who will not be the primary care giver