Policy context

There has been an increased focus on perinatal mental health over the past 10 years in national policy; particularly in relation to early years development and the need for greater access to specialist perinatal mental health support.

Table 2: Summary of national policy developments relating to perinatal mental health

Year	Policy/report	Relevance
2010	Fair Society, Health Lives (The Marmot Review)	Highlighted the importance of focusing on child development to reduce health inequalities
2016	Better Births: Improving outcomes of maternity services in England – A Five Year Forward View for maternity care	Recommended greater investment in perinatal mental health services; greater resources for postnatal care; and smooth transitions when receiving care from different professionals
2017	Stepping forward to 2020/21: The mental health workforce plan for England	Set a target that all perinatal mental health community teams and inpatient mother and baby units (MBUs) should be sufficiently staffed by 2020/21
2017	Implementing The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health	Set target for ‘increased access to specialist perinatal mental health support in all areas of England’ Made plans for a competence framework describing the skills needed by the perinatal mental health workforce Set out funding for perinatal mental health services
2018	Prevention is better than cure: Our vision to help you live well for longer	Highlighted the importance of encouraging healthier pregnancies to ensure children have the best possible start in life
2019	NHS Long Term Plan	Renewed commitments to implementing specialist perinatal mental health services across the country Committed to expanding access to therapies within specialist perinatal services so they include parent-infant, couple, and family interventions; and for services to assess the mental health of partners of people accessing specialist mental health support Committed to implementing maternal mental health services
2019	NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20 – 2023/24	Set of target that 66,000 women with moderate to severe perinatal mental health conditions will have accessed specialist care by 2023/24
2021	The best start for life: a vision for the 1,001 critical days	Highlighted the importance of the first 1,001 days in life for child development Highlighted that parents and carers must have their mental health needs met in order to meet the needs of their baby; and that support services should be accessible to partners
2022	Family hubs and start for life programme: local authority guide	Gave guidance on the delivery of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, including specific guidance on perinatal mental health
2023	Three year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services	Set out plans for improving the availability of specialist perinatal mental health services. Stated the aim of ‘all women [being] offered personalised care and support plans which take account of their physical health, mental health, social complexities, and choices’.

Local policy

In Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, policy development has reflected national priorities.

Table 3: Summary of local policy developments relating to perinatal mental health

Year	Policy/report	Relevance
2019	Mental Health and Wellbeing Pre-birth to Age 25 years Needs Assessment	Highlighted the need to prioritise perinatal mental health Predicted an increase in the number of local births over the next 5 years
2019	Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2019 – 2024	Identified ‘helping children achieve the best start in life’ as one of the top priorities to improving health and wellbeing in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
2019	Best Start in Life Strategy 2019-2024	Proposed that vulnerable parents should be identified early and supported, including with perinatal mental health support · Proposed that perinatal mental health support should be extended to promote positive attachment and bonding between infant and parents
2021	Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Early Help Strategy	Highlighted that strong and supportive families are the ‘essential foundation for enabling children and young people to lead safe, healthy and successful lives’
2022	Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Health & Wellbeing and Integrated Care Strategy 2022 – 2030	Set reducing health inequalities and improving outcomes for all children as key aims Placed focus on early intervention and prevention, to improve mental health and wellbeing
2022	Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Better Births Equality and Equity Plan	Prioritised the implementation of perinatal mental health services, with a focus on access across ethnic groups and in more deprived areas
2022	Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Better Births Infant Feeding Strategy 2022 – 2027	Recognised the impact that infant feeding issues can have on mental health

Local priorities for perinatal mental health

The following points were agreed by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Perinatal Mental Health Network in 2022 as priorities for perinatal mental health:

A robust antenatal education offer: The introduction of a flexible and accessible antenatal education offer providing a sense of community and peer support throughout the perinatal period, supporting all families in developing strong parent-infant relationships and an awareness of perinatal mental health, including tackling stigma, recognising risk factors, preventing poor mental health, and knowing how and when to access support.
Dedicated support from a key contact during the perinatal period: Starting during the perinatal period, families and parents will receive consistent and proactive support from a trained and trusted contact, empowering them to overcoming barriers to accessing perinatal support. Recognising the link between a positive feeding experience and good mental health this will include supporting parents on their infant-feeding journey.
Promoting strong parent-infant relationships: Holistically supporting parents to develop strong parent-infant relationships through enriching activities which promote good short- and long-term parent and infant mental health and child development.
Clear and supportive referral pathways: Working with the wider system, we will encourage more parents to access perinatal help by offering clear community perinatal mental health service referral pathways which provide proactive follow-up and reassurance during the referral process, to ensure those identified with mild-moderate perinatal mental health issues feel able to access community support.
Support for the whole family, including fathers and partners: Information and support, including self-help materials and peer support groups will be easily accessed by families through different platforms intended to meet the perinatal needs of the whole family, including resources and services designed with fathers and partners in mind.
Working with the wider system to tackle health inequalities and stigma: We will co-design and consult with the wider system to support vital community work engaging vulnerable populations and campaigning against perinatal mental health stigma, to make certain that all communities feel able to access culturally sensitive perinatal support.
Workforce training, development, and supervision: Training and access to appropriate supervision will be offered to those working with families and parents to encourage the de-stigmatisation of perinatal mental health and providing staff with the ability to identify and support parents at risk of poor perinatal mental health in a sensitive and evidence-based way.

Additional resources

Healthy Pregnancy Pathway