Perinatal Section Newsletter December 2013
PERINATAL PSYCHIATRY SECTION NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER 2013
EDITORS:
Nusrat Mir
Renuka Lazarus
A WORD FROM THE EDITORS
The winds of change continue to blow against a background of austerity
in the NHS. Our speciality like others is facing challenges as we battle
with government cuts. In this issue there is depressing news about the
closure of an inpatient unit mixed with positive news about the success
of Perinatal psychiatrists in the fields of research and education. We also
have an insight into the sterling work and achievements of the Action on
Postpartum Psychosis and an update on Payment by Results (PbR).
May we both also take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for
the festive season and a prosperous 2014!
Nusrat Mir
Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist
Sheffield
(On behalf of the Editors)
Perinatal Section Newsletter December 2013
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
A word from the Editors
Inpatient units under threat
Achievements of Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP)
Academic success for Perinatal Psychiatrists
Update on Payment by Results
News from the UK and beyond
INPATIENT UNITS UNDER THREAT
As the era of austerity continues unabated in the UK, it has been
confirmed that the Cardiff Mother & Baby Unit has closed and that
Leicester mother and baby beds are under threat.
The three mother and baby beds in Leicester are threatened with
closure in April 2014.
The 3 bedded inpatient unit in Cardiff was the only unit in Wales and had
been earmarked for closure as the Welsh NHS had to make 10% cuts to
its budget. The unit has now officially closed. It is expected that some of
the savings will be used to improve the community perinatal mental
health service in Cardiff. There is also a hope that there will be better
service provision for the whole of Wales in the future.
The Perinatal Section Executive Committee is to write a letter aimed at
lobbying the Welsh Health Specialist Services Committee (WHSSC) and
adding its voice to the campaign to improve perinatal mental health
services in Wales.
Perinatal Section Newsletter December 2013
ACHIEVEMENTS OF ACTION ON POSTPARTUM PSYCHOSIS
Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) was set up in 1996 by Prof Ian
Brockington and Mrs Jackie Benjamin. From a core of 50 members it has
grown to a network of nearly 600 women in the UK and around the
world. Today, APP is run by a team of women who have experienced
postpartum psychosis together with clinicians and researchers from the
Universities of Birmingham and Cardiff.
Heather Heron, one of the organisation’s current trustees, has
summarised some of its key achievements since its inception. I think it is
clear to see that they have done some sterling work in raising public
awareness of postpartum psychosis and continue to do so for which they
are to be congratulated.
1) We have set up and manage UK wide peer-supporters who have
recovered from PP - which offers one to one email support and an online
forum to provide support and information to women and families
('PPTalk'). We host fortnightly social media discussions which enable
women, partners, and others with a professional interest to speak openly
and publically about PP issues. This will help address the lack of support
and isolation many women and their families feel when recovering from
PP and help to tackle stigma by bringing PP out into the open.
2) We have set up a central web information resource for those affected
by PP, which includes information on research, personal stories, and
useful resources developed by world leading PP experts and those who
have lived with the experience of PP. Our impressive and well-monitored
website is currently receiving 18,000 hits per month.
3) We now have over 600 women members on our APP register who are
invaluable in assisting us with research into the causes, care, outcomes
and impact of PP, in developing resources for patients, health
Perinatal Section Newsletter December 2013
professionals, the media; and developing a comprehensive perinatal
strategy for the future. Via a collaboration between Cardiff and
Birmingham universities (ref Dr Ian Jones & Dr Jessica Heron
respectively) we conduct and facilitate a variety of research studies:
including Clinical & Molecular Genetic studies to help us identify genes
and other factors which might increase the risk of PP.
4) We have run a media workshop to develop training materials for
women and partners wishing to talk to the media about PP. We have set
up a media panel of trained individuals with personal experience of PP to
help raise awareness and understanding amongst health professionals,
the media, the NHS and the general public. We work with the media to
get accurate information into the public domain and have a number of
exciting projects in progress including a PP film initiative with a
renowned UK director.
We have produced informative short films with women who have
experienced PP to address stigma and misinformation in the public
domain. We have promoted them widely through our website and social
media channels. This summer an art project by Joan Molloy entitled
'How The Light Gets In' was exhibited at the Bay Art Gallery, Bute Street,
Cardiff Bay. Joan worked with our PP members to interpret their
experiences of PP in her artwork and the result was illustrated in this
exhibition. The entire project entitled "Unravelling Eve" was also the
subject of a radio 4 documentary.
5) We have conducted surveys, organised meetings & workshops for
partners & husbands to develop web information, leaflets and films
addressing the information and support needs of partners during
episodes of PP and recovery.
6) We are working with organisations to create health professional
training modules, eg a midwives' module on "Bipolar Disorder and
Pregnancy" with Cardiff University and a collaboration with Mental
Healthcare TV.
7) We have recently established and co-ordinated a UK network of APP
regional representatives to help us in campaigning, raising awareness of
Perinatal Section Newsletter December 2013
PP, fundraising, and offering support in local regions.
8) We work with mental health professionals and organisations in order
to promote accurate information about PP and address misinformation.
We have corrected PP information and we provide copy for websites
aimed at pregnant women or new mums, for example NCT and The Royal
College of Psychiatrists.
9) We have set up the Maternal Mental Health Alliance to bring together
UK organisations interested in the mental health of women in the
perinatal period. The MMHA has developed a 10 point manifesto and
developed plans to undertake ongoing structured campaigning - for
every woman to have access to quality perinatal mental health
treatment, especially in terms of improved access to Mother & Baby
Units (MBUs).
10) We have organised workshops, conferences & events for women who
have recovered from PP. We produce an annual free magazine, which
keeps our members and the wider public up to date with research,
progress, news and details of how to get involved with APP.
11) We have created opportunities for women, partners and their
families to get together at our annual (August) fundraising 'Purple
Parties'. These help to open up discussions about PP, get families and
friends together and spread the word about PP into our communities.
'Party packs' with support literature, balloons, stickers etc are available
to those who wish to help us fundraise and raise awareness in a fun
way. This July, in over 2 weeks, Sotheby's Staff Summer Exhibition raised
money for APP. Please visit Sotheby's New Bond St galleries and/or buy a
catalogue! In June this year the internationally famous Welsh Fron Male
Voice choir sang in aid of APP at a charity concert in Wrexham. Many
people have recently performed sponsored sporting feats for us - such
that we are about to establish a charity sports manager to extend our
reach in this area.
Heather Heron
Perinatal Section Newsletter December 2013
Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) trustee
http://www.app-network.org/about-us/
ACADEMIC SUCCESS FOR PERINATAL PSYCHIATRISTS
Congratulations are due to Louise Howard, Ian Jones, Margaret Oates
and Alain Gregoire, members of the Perinatal Section Executive
Committee, all of whom have this year been rewarded for their research
and clinical achievements.
Louise Howard, Professor of Women’s Mental Health, Kings College
London, was awarded a prestigious National Institute of Health Research
(NIHR) Research Professorship.
NIHR professorships are awarded to health researchers with an
outstanding record of clinical and applied research, and its effective
translation for improved health. The award will enable Louise to spend
five years dedicated to translational research in perinatal health.
Ian Jones, formerly Reader in Psychiatry at the University of Cardiff was
made a Professor of Psychiatry by the University in August this year. This
is a personal chair in the Cardiff University MRC Centre for
Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics and is in recognition of Ian’s
cutting edge research into the field of psychiatric genetics and perinatal
psychiatry as well as his contributions to undergraduate and
postgraduate training. Ian was also named as the RCPsych Researcher of
the Year at the recent annual awards ceremony in London.
Perinatal Section Newsletter December 2013
Margaret Oates OBE was also recognised by the Royal College for her
vast contribution to the field of perinatal psychiatry over the years by
the RCPsych Lifetime Achievement Award.
Last but not least, the Hampshire Perinatal Service, led by Alain
Gregoire, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist / Honorary Senior Lecturer,
was a joint winner of the RCPsych Psychiatric Team of the Year 2013.
Well done to you all for keeping the flag of Perinatal Psychiatry flying in
the world of academia and clinical psychiatry!
UPDATE ON PAYMENT BY RESULTS
At the Perinatal Section Executive Committee meeting in Manchester on
19th November 2013, Charles Musters, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist,
East London, gave an update on Payment by Results (PbR) as it relates to
Perinatal Psychiatry.
Care clusters are being piloted in England as a way of working out the
funding for each clinical team. It was planned that funding would be
based on these clusters from April 2014 but it will probably be delayed
by another year.
Perinatal Section Newsletter December 2013
Each patient receiving more than one episode of care is allocated to one
of more than 20 clusters depending on their level of psychiatric need.
The team will be paid a daily rate for the length of time each of their
patients spends in a given cluster. This daily rate will range from
£9 (“Common mental health problems, low severity”) to £86 (“Psychotic
crisis”). Clusters work with HoNos: based on their HoNos scores, there
will be clusters which are more or less likely for a given patient.
The Perinatal Section Executive Committee is currently engaged in a
review of the care clusters and their applicability to Perinatal Psychiatry.
It is hoped that further updates can be given in future newsletters.
Dr Charles Musters
Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist
East London
(Adapted by Dr Nusrat Mir)
NEW YORKSHIRE PEER GROUP
A new Peer group for Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrists in Yorkshire &
Humber has been set up. Drs Mir (Sheffield Perinatal Mental Health
Service), Narayan (Leeds Perinatal Mental Health Service), Garg (Hull
Perinatal Mental Health Service) plan to meet regularly to discuss how to
meet current challenges in Perinatal psychiatry that are being faced both
regionally and nationally.
It is also envisaged that there will be opportunities to have case-based
discussions, share ideas and support each other. This specialist peer
group joins others in the UK including London, Scotland / North East
(Newcastle).
The first meeting of the Yorkshire peer group took place on 25th October
2013 in Sheffield.
At the meeting it was noted that the Yorkshire & Humber Mother and
Baby Unit, Leeds had opened its sixth bed earlier in the month. Dr Gopi
Narayan, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist said "This is a step forward for
Yorkshire perinatal services but is still not enough to meet the needs of
the Yorkshire population".
Perinatal Section Newsletter December 2013
STOCKHOLM CALLING: ROYAL COLLEGE LEAFLET TO BE TRANSLATED
INTO SWEDISH
The Royal College of Psychiatrists information leaflet entitled
‘Postpartum psychosis: Severe mental illness after childbirth’ is to be
translated into Swedish. This was announced by Dr Ian Jones, Vice Chair
of the Perinatal Section Executive Committee at the Executive
Committee meeting on 18th September 2013.
The decision followed a highly successful fact-finding visit to London by a
group of Swedish psychiatrists based in Stockholm.
The visit involved seeing how Perinatal psychiatry services work in the
UK and took place at the Margaret Oates Mother and Baby Unit, in
Hackney, London. The Swedish delegates were so impressed by not only
the clinical services but the public education work being done by the
Royal College Perinatal Section Committee that they requested
permission to translate the leaflet which has been granted by the Royal
College.
SUBMISSIONS TO NEWSLETTER
Perinatal Section Newsletter December 2013
We welcome any feedback you may have on the newsletter and its
contents.
Please email all articles for inclusion, feedback, comments, suggestions
to Nusrat.mir@shsc.nhs.uk or Renuka.lazarus@leicspart.nhs.uk