The Perinatal Mental Health Network have published Role Definitions to support NHS Boards develop their specialist perinatal mental health services. Here are some highlights – the full document is available here.
Perinatal Mental Health Nurses
Mental health nurses form the core of specialist mental health provision in inpatient and community settings. In addition to core nursing skills, perinatal mental health nurses have a distinctive role in assessing, collaborating and working with women who experience perinatal mental ill health in their emotional adjustment to pregnancy and infant care, promoting and enhancing the developing parent-infant relationship and optimising infant development. Perinatal mental health nurses need to work alongside, and have detailed understanding of, the roles of other professionals, such as midwives and health visitors, who work with women at this time.
Perinatal Mental Health Midwives
Some midwives may have an enhanced perinatal mental health role and be appointed as specialist perinatal mental health midwives. Some will also be members of maternity and neonatal psychological interventions (MNPI) teams2 . These midwives will have enhanced mental health clinical and leadership roles and may have additional educational responsibilities. In turn, they require clear lines of support and supervision in order to perform their specialist perinatal mental health role.
Perinatal Parent-Infant Therapists
Parent-infant therapists have an expert role within specialist perinatal mental health inpatient and community teams. They may also have a within-team and regional leadership role in educating, supporting, advising and supervising other professionals. They will have a direct clinical role in the assessment and management of complex parent-infant relationship problems, with the skills to utilise a number of psychological approaches to parent-infant relationship difficulties in the context of maternal mental ill health.
Perinatal Mental Health Nusery Nurses
Nursery nurses form the core of specialist infant care provision in inpatient and community settings. In addition to core skills, nursery nurses have a distinctive role in assessing, collaborating and working with the woman in her adjustment to pregnancy and infant care, promoting and enhancing the developing parent-infant relationship and optimising infant development aligned to the National Practice Model. Nursery nurses need to work alongside and have detailed understanding of the roles of other professionals, such as midwives and health visitors, who work with women at this time.
Perinatal Clinical Psychologist
Clinical psychologists have an expert role within specialist perinatal mental health and MNPI teams which addresses the distinctive psychological therapies needs for women in pregnancy and the postnatal period and which recognises the particular importance of the mother-infant relationship.