Buckinghamshire Perinatal Mental Health Service has been named regional South East winner of the NHS Parliamentary Awards and is now shortlisted for the NHS Parliamentary Awards Excellence in Mental Health Care Award category.

The specialist service provides assessment and treatment of women with complex and severe mental health problems during and after pregnancy. It launched in May 2019 and brings together Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Buckinghamshire Mind professionals to provide wrap around care and support for mothers and their babies.

When patients were asked about their experience with the service in July, all agreed or strongly agreed that staff gave them the right amount of support and care, staff listened to them and understood their problems and staff helped them understand their illness.  97 per cent of patients said staff helped them be more confident caring for their baby.

“This service is an absolute lifeline,” said one woman. “I will always, always praise this service as my daughter is now nine months and I have been enjoying her in a way that I never did with my first. At 18 months I was still struggling due to late specialist intervention. I am so thankful that this service is here to support me and I hope all PMHT are as good as this throughout the UK.”

Buckinghamshire Perinatal Mental Health Service includes consultant They work closely with other professionals, developing a treatment plan tailored to and in partnership with patients. The aim is to provide the right care to help them recover, encouraging family involvement and strengthening their bond with their child. Care is provided across Buckinghamshire to women in their own homes, wherever possible, enabling them to maintain their roles as mothers while their mental illness is safely treated.

The NHS Parliamentary Awards asked MPs across the country to find and nominate individuals and teams they thought had made the biggest improvements to health services in their constituencies across 10 categories.

“Since its launch, Buckinghamshire Perinatal Mental Health Service has been able to help more and more mothers, babies and families during a really crucial period of their lives,” said Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive Nick Broughton. “Mothers tell us this support, care and treatment is life changing. This award and shortlisting is a real testament to all the hard work of the team.”

Andrea McCubbin, Chief Executive of Buckinghamshire Mind, said: “Buckinghamshire Mind is proud to be part of the Perinatal Mental Health service. Our role in the team has focused on supporting women through the smaller, every-day tasks that life requires, making these more achievable as well helping their mental and social wellbeing through regular contact and building networks of peer support.”

To find out more about the Buckinghamshire Perinatal Mental Health Service, please click here.