Maternal Mental Health Services
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Background
The NHS Long Term Plan includes an ambition for maternal mental health services to be better linked into community hub developments and better connected to Primary Care Network services. The Long Term Plan aims to increase services to benefit more women, and to extend specialist mental health support for new parents.
The voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector plays a pivotal role in realising this ambition in the North East and North Cumbria. The aim of this innovative programme, which has now closed, was to support the development of new maternal mental health services via the VCSE, working alongside the NHS.
Through this project four prototype maternal mental health services were developed with the VCSE across the North East and North Cumbria providing support to expectant and new mothers with mild to moderate mental health needs up to baby’s second birthday. Each service was developed – and some are still being delivered – by a local organisation, making the best possible use of the innovation and community knowledge of the VCSE sector in that area:
TogetherWe CiC (North Cumbria)
Sunderland Counselling Service (Sunderland)
Teesside Mind (Tees Valley/Middlesbrough)
Everyturn Mental Health (Northumberland).
In each area a link worker provided personalised support to families, creating a link between NHS services and the local community. They created action plans with their clients, reviewing these in a way that was most meaningful to mothers accessing support. Examples of the support provided to mothers included:
Support to participate in group activities including parent and baby groups, buggy walks, antenatal groups
Help to connect to local assets, such as leisure facilities, Family Hubs
Support around benefits and welfare rights
Facilitating access to food banks and baby banks
Exploring employment and training, preparing for return to work after maternity leave
Making sense of life as a new parent and the changes this can bring about
Connecting to peer support or creating new opportunities for peer support
We continue to work with the North East and North Cumbria Local Maternity and Neonatal System to build capacity and integrate VCSE sector link work provision and peer support into maternal mental health service pathways by hosting a Learning Community for local link workers.
The Maternal Mental Health Services (MMHS) project grew out of discussions at the VCSE Partnership Programme, which supports the VCSE sector to engage and collaborate with the NHS in the North East and North Cumbria. It is funded by The North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System (NENC ICS).
Mothers aged 16 to 25, and their families, continue to be supported by Ways to Wellness to take control of their health and wellbeing, and focus on ‘what matters to me’ through the latest development in this stream of our work, a Young Mums Mental Health Service funded by Pilgrim Trust, scoping for which is underway.
2. Who we help
During the initial project, which has now closed, we supported mothers with mild to moderate mental health needs during the perinatal period. GPs, midwives, health visitors and perinatal and community mental health professionals made referrals to the services, with each of the four prototypes helping different parents, depending on local need.
There was an urban/rural mix of prototypes, aimed at addressing health inequalities, issues for ethnically minoritised communities, and social determinants of health. This helped us test the model with a wide range of different families and learn about the diversity of need in our region.
It is this work that led to the identification of young mums aged 16 to 25 as the focus point for our new project, which is currently in its early stages.
3. Impact
Project delivery started in Spring 2022.
Independent evaluation of the services highlighted the value of this low cost, high value preventative support, which reduced demand in the health and care system and complemented clinical services, with benefits for both mum and infant as well as wider family unit.
Being based in the VCSE realised multiple benefits, with clinicians valuing the flexibility and responsiveness the services offered. The prototypes were generative, leveraging new peer support services and contributing to a wide number of academic studies to support clinicians to better understand the breadth of local community assets available for families.
Evidence tells us that stigma remains around maternal mental illness, with 70% of women downplaying their symptoms due to their fear around being seen not to be coping or of statutory services intervention. Women involved in the project reported feeling better able to be open about their needs with an independent VCSE-based link worker, and better able to engage with Early Help support.
The project was highly commended in the National Positive Practice in Mental Health Awards 2024 in the Perinatal Mental Health category, and won the ‘Women’s Innovation in Health’ award at the Bright Ideas in Health Awards in November 2024.
4. Evaluation and evidence
The project was supported by a comprehensive evaluation framework using the Parent and Baby Outcome Star. Outcomes for families were reflected in case studies and qualitative interviews with families who have accessed link work support, and professionals connected to their care.
Shared learning
Ways to Wellness facilitates a monthly Learning Community for link workers that support maternal mental health. The format for these sessions has been co-designed with the link workers themselves.
As a learning community they explore gaps, barriers and opportunities for services to connect to new mothers and address their needs. The link workers then decide which key messages will be taken forward to facilitate discussion and sharing across the wider health and social care system.
An example of this shared learning is a co-produced mosaic of the factors affecting maternal mental health:
Regional Maternal Mental Health Learning Community
Throughout the lifetime of the programme we convened system wide regional workshops to seek feedback and a steer on the delivery of the prototypes, supporting our test and learn approach. This space helped us co-produce resources such as our Mosaic of Maternal Mental Health Needs and a range of themed briefings, covering topics of regional importance such as the diversity of needs across rural and urban places and the unique needs of younger parents.
Project evaluation
An evaluation sub-group of academics from across the Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria (ARC NENC) supported the programme, and a range of collaborative activities took place with ARC NENC colleagues, including participatory research with Happy Mums, the Centre for Digital Citizens and other partners, a collaborative Child Health and Wellbeing Network webinar and contributions by the link workers to a range of academic studies in the children and families health space.
Downloads
Summary evaluation report 2024
Learning report: presenting learning and guidance for replication 2024
Interim evaluation report March 2023
5. Partners and funders
The delivery of this initiative was supported by transformational funding from the North East & North Cumbria Integrated Care System (NENC ICS). The new Young Mums Maternal Mental Health project is funded by Pilgrim Trust
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North East & North Cumbria Integrated Care System
VONNE
North Cumbria CVS
ARC NENC
Maternity Voices Partnerships representation
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Together We CiC (North Cumbria)
Sunderland Counselling Service (Sunderland)
Teesside Mind (Tees Valley/Middlesbrough)
Everyturn (Northumberland)
6. Patient information
If you are experiencing mental health challenges through pregnancy or postnatally, please speak to your GP, midwife, health visitor, or other healthcare professional who can refer you to a relevant service.
7. Testimonials
Quotes from families:
“You are the first person to actually ask about me and not the babies. I love them, but no one seems to think about me and what I might want.”
Quotes from families:
"Thank you for sharing such great information. I didn’t know this kind of stuff existed. There’s some really lovely sessions on at the Recovery College that I’d like to try.”
Steffen Laukard, Everyturn Mental Health:
"The impact the Maternal Mental Health Support service has had on service users has gone far beyond our expectations. The feedback gained speaks for itself and it has also given our team a sense of pride to be part of this prototype and support the mums with what is important to them.
“Often, mothers come to us with the belief they are a 'bad' mum because they feel overwhelmed by societal expectations of a 'good mum'. Our link workers help mums change their perspective and look at all their accomplishments, as well as explain that asking for help is not a failing. Standing in front of a mountain of tasks to solve can feel paralysing; our Link Workers help mums break down their tasks, problem-solve, and regain their autonomy.”
Quotes from families:
“You’ve been such a huge help. It’s so nice to have someone who has time to listen to me talk about everything that’s going on for me at the moment. I’ve been singing your praises today to my GP, thank you.”
Sam Joughin, Together We CIC:
