Perinatal Mental Health
The Perinatal Mental Health Service consists of Consultant Psychiatrists, Psychologists and Perinatal Community Psychiatric Nurses.
The service works with women who are pregnant, or in the first postnatal year, who are experiencing serious perinatal mental health difficulties.
These might include issues such as:
• birth trauma;
• psychosis;
• depression;
• anxiety;
• an intense and disabling fear of childbirth (tokophobia);
• obsessive compulsive disorder;
• needing support with medically complicated pregnancies such as placenta praevia or a multiple pregnancy;
• experience of perinatal loss, prior to the child reaching the age of two.
Perinatal Loss Pathway - Information for Professionals.pdf [pdf] 122KB
Referrals are from a health professional only. We accept referrals up to twelve months post partum.
During pregnancy women can be seen by the Psychiatrist, or the Psychologist, from 12 -14 weeks, and the CPNs from 28 weeks pregnant.
Perinatal Mental Health Pathways
There are now two clinical pathways for clinicians: one for Coventry and one for Warwickshire.
These pathways identify not only the clinical options for perinatal support but also a wide range of localised support across statutory, community and third sector partners that parents are encouraged to access irrespective of where they sit in their perinatal journey.
These pathways are updated 6 monthly and available on the links below.
Coventry pathway Warwickshire pathway
Local sources of support and help are also available.
Referrals
Please be advised that the Perinatal Mental Health Team is moving towards a Single Point of Entry, based at Willenhall Primary Care Centre. As a result, referrals for the North and South Warwickshire pathway will no longer be sent to Warwick Hospital. Please send all referrals to the Single Point of Entry located at Willenhall. Please see the new referral form attached, to be used with immediate effect.
If a woman is experiencing any of the following (during pregnancy or up to 1 year postnatally):
- symptoms of psychosis (which may include confusion or bizarre or out of character behaviour)
- recent significant changes in mental state or emergence of new symptoms
- new thoughts or acts of violent self-harm
- new and persistent expressions of incompetency as a mother or estrangement from the infant
Please refer immediately to the PMHT by phone (024 7621 2176) 9am - 5pm Monday - Friday or to the Mental Health Access Hub (0300 200 0011) out of hours, and the team will decide whether an emergency assessment (within 4 hours) is needed.
The referral form below is now an editable document to download. You can save it onto your PC and then fill in the fields on the document.
The address to contact is:
Perinatal Mental Health Team
Willenhall Health Centre
Remembrance Road
Coventry
CV3 3DG
Email: PMHT@covwarkpt.nhs.uk
Telephone: 024 7621 2176
***Please discontinue use of any old referral forms headed as ‘North & South’ Warwickshire PMHT***