Looking for Mums and Dads to help shape the future for care around postnatal depression!

One of the reasons that I dedicate my time to talking and writing about postnatal illness is that I feel that if more information and treatment is available then it could be avoided or at least improved, for future parents. I am eternally grateful that I recovered and therefore something must have helped me, however, there were other things that definitely could have been better. Do you feel like that? Are you or a loved one now better but would like your voice to be heard to help others from the same fate?

If so, we have an opportunity to do just that. Primarily for those those located in the NW of England to attend a few meetings (travel and attendance paid) but also for others to contribute on-line.

Some of the professionals involved in this process recognise the value of learning from previous patients and here is a message from on:-

We need more, information from parents about their experience of perinatal mental health services and the kinds of services they’d like to see developed.  Gathering those views of both mothers and father’s that have needed emotional and psychological support during the early months and sometimes years of their child’s life is an important part of this project and we are bringing together an ‘Experts by Experience Reference Group’ that will report to the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Project’s Steering Group.  Their function is to give advice, challenge where necessary and highlight any gaps.

The Experts by Experience Reference Group will be supported by a wider virtual network of service-users with experience of Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Services, who will be able to view project reports and make comments and share ideas throughout the remainder of the project.       

If you would like more information on NHS North West’s  Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Improvement Project or perhaps you have used perinatal and infant mental health services and would like to get more involved with other service users in supporting the project, then please contact me at anne.sheppard@northwest.nhs.uk

And yes, I will be there!

Elaine Hanzak

www.hanzak.com