Greater Manchester Perinatal and Parent Infant Mental Health Model launched by Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership
Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMH&SCP) has launched the Greater Manchester Perinatal and Parent Infant Mental Health document. The creation of the document was led by Dr Sarah Jones, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) Lead for Perinatal Mental Health Service and Clinical Lead at GMH&SCP Perinatal and Parent Infant Mental Health (PIMH), and Dr Pauline Lee, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Tameside & Glossop Early Attachment Service and GMH&SCP Clinical Lead in PIMH.
This document outlines Greater Manchester’s pioneering perinatal and parent-infant mental health model. It describes how the key mental health services will integrate and work together during the prenatal and postnatal periods, whilst at the same time supporting the efforts of other services that are frequently involved in the pathway. The document creates a shared language and understanding of perinatal and parent-infant mental health services for professionals.
You can read the document here: GM Perinatal Parent Infant Mental Health Model.pdf
Background
The perinatal period is usually defined as the time between conceiving a baby until the end of the first postnatal year.
20% of women (or 1 in every 5 women) experience mental health problems during this time, making this a relatively common experience.
Research shows that 50% of women with depression go undetected and do not access treatment and support.
It is vital that women receive treatment and support as early as possible. We know that if left untreated, mental illness can have a significant and long lasting impact on the woman, her infant and her family.
The perinatal period is often a window of opportunity; treating mental health problems at this time prevents avoidable suffering and isolation, strengthens families, ensures children have a healthy start, has economic benefits and helps to prevent suicide, the leading cause of maternal death in the UK.
At such a crucial time in a child’s development, there is also no other period in life when so many different services and professionals can become involved with a parent and their baby.
 |
The Greater Manchester model establishes integrated working of:
Each of these services and the principles under which they operate is presented in some detail in this paper. |
Dr Sarah Jones, GMMH Trust Lead for Perinatal Mental Health Service and Clinical Lead at GMH&SCP Perinatal and Parent-Infant Mental Health said,
“We are very excited to launch our Perinatal and Parent-infant Mental Health Model. This document describes our innovative approach to the delivery of mental healthcare to women and families in Greater Manchester.
"We recognise that women and their families need a whole system approach to mental healthcare in the 1001 Critical Days (from conception to 2 years old). Women and families need services that can deliver the highest standard of evidence-based care across the whole pathway and services that can be tailored to the individual needs of each patient and their families.
"We describe:
Why mental health care during the 1001 Critical Days is so important
What services are available to meet the mental health needs of women and their families across GM in the 1001 Critical Days
How the Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service (provided by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust) is integrated with the GM Parent-infant Service and the Specialist Perinatal IAPT service to offer a range of interventions to women and their families in need across GM.
"We are confident that our novel approach will improve outcomes for our women, their children and their families at a critical time and change lives for generations to come.”
