Patient information

Perinatal Mental Health Service - A guide for patients

Who are we?

The term ‘perinatal’ refers to the period of time from conception and throughout the postpartum period.

The aim of our team is to identify, assess and treat serious mental illness in the perinatal period by working together with you, your families and health professionals.

We provide specialist care and treatment to women whose needs cannot be safely managed by GPs, health visitors or Talking Therapy services.

We work with women who experience the onset of a new illness during pregnancy or following the delivery of a child. We also support women with a pre-existing diagnosis such as Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, who are currently well but may be at an increased risk of relapse following delivery.

This will sometimes involve working together with colleagues in secondary mental health services.

Who will help?

The team consists of Specialist Doctors, Consultant Psychiatrists, Specialist Pharmacists, Community Mental Health Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers, Nursery Nurses, Peer Support Workers, Specialist Psychologists, and Psychology provision.

Your care and treatment

While under the team, we will formulate a specialist plan of care to work towards your recovery.

Our aim is to maximise the mental and emotional wellbeing of mothers and infants.

Some specialist support we offer includes:

• Assessment of risk and care planning.
• Monitoring mother and baby attachment.
• Managing medication in pregnancy and during breastfeeding.
• Liaison with health visitors, midwives, GPs, obstetricians and other professionals.

We also offer preconception counselling for women with a pre-existing serious mental illness who are planning a pregnancy, to identify and manage the risks that may present during this period.

Clinics across the county

• The Archway Centre, Lincoln
• The Archway Centre, Boston
• Elm Lodge, Grantham

How can you access the service?

Referrals can only be made with your consent via a GP, obstetrician, Health Visitor or Midwife. This can be directly to the team or via the Trust’s Single Point of Access (0303 123 4000).

Sometimes, it might be that other services are more appropriate. All decisions and recommendations will be confirmed in writing to both you and the referrer. Unfortunately,  we are unable to accept self-referrals.

Our team work hard to support women at home, however some women may need the additional support of a specialist inpatient unit. Where this is the case, the team work closely with the specialist Mother and Baby Units in the East Midlands.

We are unable to offer a service to women with mild to moderate mental health problems or those who are using drugs or alcohol, unless there is a serious secondary mental illness.

What about confidentiality?

All information provided is kept together to form a secure healthcare record, with every reasonable precaution taken to safeguard your personal information.

Sometimes other agencies are also involved in your care and we may need to share information with them. Anyone who receives confidential information about you from us is also under a legal duty of confidence.

We will not disclose your information without your permission unless the health and safety of yourself or others is at risk or if we are required by law to do so under the Data Protection Act 1998 and Children’s Act 1989.

What are your views?

We would love to get your thoughts about our service. We will ask you if you would like to complete a patient experience questionnaire to tell us about your experiences with us.

This helps us to continually improve and adapt our service. Complaints are managed in an open and transparent way, adhering to Trust procedure. You can find out more at www.lpft.nhs.uk/feedback