Perinatal Community Mental Health Team

The Perinatal Team support women and birthing people during the Perinatal period, which is during pregnancy and up to the baby’s 1st birthday. A pregnancy or arrival of a new baby can be seen as a happy time, however some Mams can experience difficulties with their mental health. There are a range of services available to support women to recover, build strong relationships with their children, and for the family to thrive.

We recognise transgender fathers into the service, and we are keen for them to feel welcomed and for their needs to be met. We also recognise many parents’ identity comes from being either a Mam or a Dad. We are keen to work with whatever terminology you prefer. All birthing people are welcome in the service and we are understanding of diverse needs.

We support women living in Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, and Sunderland. Across our area a range of services have been invested in to provide a tailored service to meet the needs of women, their babies, and the family. As a set of services, we endeavour to promote the right service at the right time. This can include, charities, Talking Therapies, and the Perinatal Community service to name but a few.

Women who are referred to the Perinatal Team can have a range of mental health conditions. This may be a new experience or a previous / existing mental health condition. Women may have had longstanding problems with their mental health and could have accessed other mental health services such as CYPS and Community Treatment Teams. Your current team may suggest you come to our service during your pregnancy for specialist support at this time in your life.

Having a baby is one of the biggest changes in our lives. This can be emotionally destabilising due to the lack of sleep, changes to routine, it can take time for relationships to adjust to having a new baby. Mams can worry they are not enough, are being judged, and this can prevent them from reaching out for help. As a service we understand this and want to work with you to work towards your goals.

A member of your care team will have talked to you about our service and suggested that specialist support might be helpful for you.

A member of our team will contact you to arrange a convenient time for an initial appointment. However, if we are unable to reach you, we will send an appointment in the post. If this appointment is not convenient or if you have any questions, please contact us. There are a range of ways for you to contact us:

• you can call us on 0191 246 7400
• you can email us on [email protected]

 
We understand that meeting us can feel worrying, we have included a short introduction video so you can meet some of the team. This can be found on a QR code on your assessment letter.

We want to work with family and friends who support you, this is something that will be discussed with you at your initial appointment. We would like to offer your partner/family/friend who is involved in supporting you an appointment to get to know them and answer any questions they may have about our service and your care.

At this appointment we will start to get to know you, talk about what you are currently struggling with and discuss any relevant previous background. This helps us think about what support will be useful on your recovery journey.

This initial appointment will last about an hour, a friend or relative can also attend if you wish. We can arrange to meet you at your home or another location such as a GP surgery or Perinatal base if this is more comfortable for you.

Whilst you may have chosen to come to one of our bases you may have questions about our facilities. Here are some answers to some common questions:

• Both bases at St Nicholas Hospital and Monkwearmouth Hospital are accessible by public transport.
• Parking is available however the car parks can be busy, so we advise arriving slightly earlier than your appointment time. Parking is charged and this can be paid by phone or cash.
• We have baby changing facilities at Ashgrove and Penshaw.
• Breastfeeding is also welcome anywhere on our premises.

We are a secondary mental health service your care and treatment are supported through a multi-disciplinary team. You will be part of any discussions regarding your care or what type of support is best for you. After the initial assessment we will consider with you the most suitable treatment plan. This may be with any of the services available within your local area.

A key worker or named practitioner will be allocated to you. We will arrange an appointment to get to know you and work with you to begin to develop a care plan that will help meet your needs. We hope to support you to understand your current mental health difficulties and help you find ways to begin your recovery and maintain your wellbeing.

• The medical team offer pre-conceptual counselling for women with a history of serious mental health problems such as bipolar disorder and psychosis and who are considering becoming a parent.
• The medical team can offer specialist perinatal advice and treatment of your diagnosis, and this support can include advice around the role of any medication you may take during pregnancy and into the post-partum period with consideration given to breast feeding.
• Specialist Community Practitioners can offer a range of interventions to help you to understand your mental health difficulties and support you.
• All members of the team can help support you to build a relationship with your baby and we have specialist nursery nurses who can offer 1:1 sessions and group work to promote attachment and support with you adjusting to becoming a parent.
• Peer support are members of our team, who have experienced their own emotional distress and who have accessed services in the past. They can share their own lived experience to promote hope and recovery.
• Many of our staff have specialist training in a range of therapies including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy; Interpersonal Psychotherapy; Systemic Practice; Video Interaction Guidance; Eye Movement Desensitisation and Processing Therapy and mindfulness.
  Specialist clinical psychologists offer individual assessment and therapy.
• WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) our team can support you to develop your own WRAP, this can be used on your ongoing recovery journey. WRAP focuses on how you can maintain your wellbeing and documents ways that you can practise self-care.

When your time with us is coming to an end together we will think about and identify any other support you might need. Sometimes this is a discharge back to your GP, a referral to talking therapies, a charity or to another service within Cumbria Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust. We understand that discharge can be a difficult time for some of the mams we work with however discharge will be a planned process that you will be involved in. Our aim is to ensure that you feel prepared for staying well after discharge. This can be exploring what is in your own local community such as Family Hubs and Recovery Colleges.

If you need help urgently outside the hours of the Perinatal Community Mental Health Team please call your doctor or your local Crisis Team. Your Care Co-ordinator will complete a contingency plan around any difficulties you may experience out of hours.

Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Service Northumberland and North Tyneside – freephone 0800 652 2861
There is a text number for people who are Deaf and/or have communication difficulties: 07887 625 277

Newcastle and Gateshead – freephone 0800 652 2863
There is a text number for people who are Deaf and/or have communication difficulties: 07919 228 548

Sunderland and South Tyneside area – freephone 0800 652 2867 There is a text number for people who are Deaf and/or have communication difficulties: 07889 036 280

There are also some helplines and organisations that can give you advice and support:

Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP)
Telephone: 0203 322 9900
Email: [email protected]

Maternal OCD Matters support group

The Samaritans – 116 123
Email: [email protected]

NHS 111 – 111

SANEline – Telephone: 0300 304 7000 (4pm–10pm daily)

If you require an interpreter staff can arrange to book an appointment.

Contact Traveline
Telephone:0871 200 22 33
Website: www.traveline.info/

If you are in receipt of certain benefits or named on an NHS Low Income Scheme Certificate HC2 or HC3 then you might be able to claim a refund for the cost of travelling to outpatient appointments under the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme. Please don’t hesitate to give us a ring for more information before your appointment.

If you want to make a comment, suggestion, compliment or complaint you can:

• talk to the people directly involved in your care
• ask a member of staff for a feedback form, or complete a form on the Trust website
• telephone the Complaints Department Tel: 0191 245 6672
• email [email protected] Please note that information sent to the Trust via email is sent at your own risk

 
We are always looking at ways to improve services. Your feedback allows us to monitor the quality of our services and act upon issues that you bring to our attention. You can provide feedback in the following ways:

• the quickest way for you to do this is to complete our short online survey at www.cntw.nhs.uk/yourvoice
• complete a Your Voice survey, available on wards, reception areas or from staff
• other options for sharing your feedback and experience www.cntw.nhs.uk/yourfeedback

 
Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
PALS provide confidential advice and support, helping you to sort out any concerns that you may have about any aspect of your or your loved ones care.

We act independently when handling patient and family concerns, liaising with staff, managers and, where appropriate, relevant organisations, to negotiate prompt solutions. If necessary, we can also refer patients and families to specific local or national-based support agencies.

North of Tyne
Tel: 0800 032 0202
Email: [email protected]
Post: FREEPOST PALS

South of Tyne
Tel: 0800 328 4397
Text: 07825 061 035
Email: [email protected]
Post: Patient Advice and Liaison Service, Garden Lodge, Hopewood Park, Ryhope, Sunderland, SR2 0NB

9am – 4.30 pm, Monday to Friday
An answerphone is available at all times for you to leave a message. A member of the PALS team will aim to return your call as soon as possible.

Main office base:
Perinatal CMHT
Ashgrove, St Nicholas Hospital, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 3XT
Telephone: 0191 246 7400 Option 3

Northumberland office:
Perinatal CMHT
c/o Beadnell Ward (Mother and Baby Unit)
St George’s Park, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 2NU
Telephone: 0191 246 7400 Option 2

Sunderland and South Tyneside office:
Perinatal CMHT
Penshaw Ward, Monkwearmouth Hospital, Newcastle Road, Sunderland, SR5 1NB
Telephone: 0191 246 7400 Option 4

Email:[email protected]
Please note that information sent to the Trust via email is sent at your own risk

Further information about the content, reference sources or production of this leaflet can be obtained from the Patient Information Centre. If you would like to tell us what you think about this leaflet please get in touch.

This information can be made available in a range of formats on request (eg Braille, audio, larger print, easy read, BSL or other languages). Please contact the Patient Information Centre Tel: 0191 246 7288

Published by the Patient Information Centre
2025 Copyright, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
Ref, PIC/367/0325 March 2025 V10
www.cntw.nhs.uk
Telephone: 0191 246 7288
Review date 2028