Psychological Interventions in Perinatal Community Mental Health Teams in the United Kingdom

Abstract: The promotion of perinatal mental health and the provision of effective, evidence-based psychological interventions has become a priority within the UK. Increased awareness of the impact of poor maternal mental health and improved financial investment has led to the rapid expansion of perinatal community mental health services. This evaluation was undertaken to learn more about the psychological provision within UK Perinatal Community Mental Health Teams (PCMHTs) at the end of 2017. All PCMHTs with Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) Perinatal Centre for Continuous Quality Improvement (CCQI) membership in September 2017 (23 teams) were contacted and asked to complete a six-item online questionnaire developed for the purpose of this investigation about the psychological interventions currently being offered in their service. Seventy-four percent of teams contacted completed the survey. The findings suggest that, while there was considerable variability within the psychological provision in the PCMHTs, there were also important commonalities. The variation in psychological provision in the PCMHTs may reflect differences in service user needs, in local mental health and statutory services provision, in staff skills and training, and in the developmental stage and staffing provision of the team. Commonalities suggest that teams are striving to work within the “perinatal frame of mind” (Tavistock and Portman, 2016), tailoring interventions to their interpretations of the specific needs of this client group.