Who are we?

• We are a group of people who are involved with either providing, receiving or commissioning (i.e buying) perinatal mental health care.
• We are clinically led by a consultant psychiatrist and a consultant Clinical Psychologist for parent infant mental health, who are supported by the network team.
• The work of the network is overseen by a perinatal mental health steering group, which includes doctors, midwives, patients, public health workers and other people who drive improvements in this area.
• The work of the p erinatal mental health (PNMH) network dovetails with the work of the GMHSCP Perinatal Infant Mental Health transformation group.
• The Perinatal Infant Mental Health transformation group reports to the GMEC CYPMH Board and the PNMH network reports to the GMEC Maternity Transformation Board.
• Work is delivered alongside the SCN Maternity Network with partners from the Local Maternity System (LMS), Patient Safety Collaborative (PSC), North West Neonatal Operational Delivery Network (NWNODN) and Health Innovation Manchester.
• The area we cover is Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire.

What are our aims?

• Developing a strong, cohesive PNMH strategic clinical network team.
• Identifying and enabling a truly engaged and empowered steering group.
• Promoting a culture change to ensure perinatal mental health has the right place and priority in general adult mental health, obstetric and heath visiting practices.
• Reducing variation in the delivery of mental health services to women and their families across Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire.
• Making sure patients, carers, doctors, nurses and families have a voice in designing and developing services.
• Identifying and supporting the implementation of best practice and improved services, as recommended by doctors and nurses.
• Working with our partners to improve safety.

How do we do it?

• Networking and partnership working allows our steering group to identify where improvements can be made.
• Once identified, special interest or task and finish groups are established with designated leads and representation by appropriate disciplines to develop guidelines through gaining clinical consensus, across the network to improve services and reduce variation.
• Lead and/or facilitate working groups which are aligned with delivering the SCN work programme.

Currently the special interest groups are:

• Local Maternity System PNMH.
• Pathways.
• Screening and outcome measures.
• Training and workforce development.

How can I get involved?

• The views of the public are very important to us. Our Patients, Carers and Public Involvement Engagement Advisory Group and Families with lived experience group play an important role in our work programme.
• To contact us to find out more about how to get involved, please email us at england.gmec-scn@nhs.net.