1. Kathy Felton Commissioning Manager ( Acute Paediatrics, Maternity, Gynaecology, Fertility Treatments) Brighton & Hove Clinical Commissioning Group

2. General Overview The perinatal mental health period commences at conception & lasts for 2 yrs following childbirth. Specialist perinatal services usually cover the period up to one year after birth. Mental ill health during pregnancy and the postnatal period can have serious consequences for the health and wellbeing of a mother & her baby, as well as for her partner & other family members Anxiety and depression are common, and women with pre-existing major mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, are at greater risk of compromised maternity care, delivery complications and relapse in pregnancy and the postnatal period Mental illness makes a significant contribution to maternal deaths. Over the past decade, the Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the UK, have highlighted that suicide in pregnancy & during the first postnatal year remains a leading cause of maternal death

3. Brighton and Hove - Prevalence Benchmark Table

4. What do we know ? For pregnant women with mental health problems there are many barriers to attending traditional outpatient appointments within mental health services. Routine contact with healthcare professionals provides an opportunity to identify women, who have, or are at risk of developing, a mental health problem What are we doing? • We have developed an integrated care pathway for perinatal mental health with dedicated psychiatrist input • There has been training for MWs & HVs, guidelines for GPs • Improved assessment questions included at 12 wk booking with the MW • Set up a specialist perinatal mental health clinic provides a joint approach to managing pregnancy and mental health

5. Aims of Perinatal Mental Health Clinic: • referrals from MWs, HVs, GPs & mental health services • joint psychiatric and obstetric assessments and care plans for high risk women suffering from mental health problems antenatally & in the first yr following birth • identify safeguarding issues & link with Social Services • consistent advice on medication & therefore reduce risk of inappropriate prescribing • reducing risk of crisis intervention & need for hospital admissions • improve outcomes for the family