Supporting Perinatal Mental Health and Wellbeing during COVID-19

Area of Science:

• Perinatal mental health
• Maternal healthcare services
• Public health during pandemics

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted maternity services, necessitating rapid changes in perinatal mental healthcare delivery.
• Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Midwives in UK NHS Trusts faced challenges in adapting their services.
• Understanding these adaptations is crucial for maintaining mental health support for women transitioning into parenthood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document findings from literature published on perinatal mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-May 2021).
• To conduct a knowledge mapping exercise on the reconfiguration of perinatal mental health services across five London NHS Trusts.
• To provide best practice guidance for para-pandemic and post-pandemic service delivery.

Main Methods:

• A critical review methodology was employed to select and synthesize relevant literature.
• A knowledge mapping exercise involved gathering and synthesizing data from five NHS Trusts.
• An inclusive stance was adopted for data collection to create a comparable snapshot of service provisions.

Main Results:

• The critical review identified two main themes: 'Increased Perinatal Distress' and 'Inaccessible Services and Support'.
• The knowledge mapping exercise revealed four themes: 'Retention of Existing Service Provision', 'Additional Services Provided', 'Reconfiguration of Service Provision', and 'Additional Provision to Support Staff Wellbeing'.

Conclusions:

• The pandemic led to increased perinatal mental distress and service accessibility challenges.
• NHS Trusts reconfigured services, retained existing provisions, and introduced new support, including for staff wellbeing.
• Best practice guidance is offered to facilitate adaptation to 'new normal' service delivery post-pandemic.