Address
Lancaster House
Falcon Court
Preston Farm Industrial Estate
Stockton-on-Tees
TS18 3TS
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01642 368303
Service opening hours
Monday to Friday, 9am until 5pm (except bank holidays)
Out of hours support
- If you need help outside of the perinatal team’s normal working hours, you can contact the crisis team in your area 24/7 on freephone: NHS 111 then select the mental health option.
- The Listening Service provides 24/7 emotional support for adults living in Teesside, Durham and Darlington, tel: 0800 046 1313.
Why do we need a perinatal mental health team?
Mental illnesses affect more than one in ten women during pregnancy and the first year after childbirth – Prevention in Mind | Birth Companions.
During pregnancy, and after birth, women can be affected by a range of mental health problems including anxiety disorders, depression, and postnatal psychotic disorders.
Some women are at increased risk of experiencing mental illness in the perinatal period, particularly those who have suffered from a severe perinatal mental illness such as post-partum psychosis, severe depression and those with bipolar disorder – Antenatal and postnatal mental health: clinical management and service guidance.
“The team have helped me through a very difficult period in my life and offered insight and an understanding into my diagnosis.” A patient.
Who works in the team?
The perinatal community mental health team is made up of:
- Specialist community psychiatric nurses
- Consultant psychiatrist
- Psychologists
- Parent-infant psychotherapist
- Occupational therapist
- Support worker
- Specialist nursery nurses
- Administrative staff
Who does the team see?
The team supports people living in Teesside who are either pregnant or up to one year post-natal and who have been suffering with significant mental health difficulties that requires specialist support from mental health services.
Who can refer me?
You can be referred by your GP, health visitor, midwife or another professional who works with you.
What will happen when I am referred?
You will be contacted by a member of the team to arrange a convenient appointment for your assessment. If we are unable to reach you by telephone, we may send you an appointment by post. If you do not feel you need this appointment, please let us know.
Your initial appointment can last up to an hour and is an opportunity for you to discuss your current difficulties and how you are feeling about your baby. You are welcome to bring a friend, family member or other professional to this appointment if you would find this helpful. Your baby may be present at appointments.
How can the team help me?
If we agree together that the perinatal service is the best service to support you, you will be allocated to one of the clinicians within the team. They will then work with you to agree a care plan to help meet your individual needs within a timescale and find solutions to support you on your road to recovery. We are able to offer active interventions up until your baby is one year old. If we agree the service is not suitable, we would discuss and signpost you to the appropriate service.
Will everything I say be kept confidential?
Everything you say, and the information about you, will be kept confidential within the perinatal team. The only instance in which we would need to break your confidentiality is if it was felt there was a risk to yourself or others, but we would speak to you about this.
Can my family and friends who care for me get help?
If you have an identified carer, we are able to offer them a carer’s assessment.
“Really useful to bring me closer to my unborn baby and my wife. My wife has improved hugely [in her mood] since being in your service.” A patient’s partner.
Getting a second opinion
If you’re not sure about a diagnosis or treatment suggested to you, you can ask for a second opinion, although you do not have a legal right to one.
First of all, ask us. We will ask another consultant to see you. Depending on the situation, this could be another consultant in our service, or in our trust, or a perinatal consultant who works for another trust.
Advocacy services in Teesside
Stockton Independent Complaints Advocacy Service – http://www.stocktonadvice.org.uk/stockton-independent-complaints-advocacy-service/
People First Independent Advocacy – https://wearepeoplefirst.co.uk/advocacy/nhs-advocacy/
L988, V7, 17/01/2025 (Archive: 17/01/2028)
