Maternal mental health service expands across Kent

Specialist midwives are helping more women and birthing people across Kent get the help and support they need for mental health issues during and after pregnancy.

Team Lotus, which is based at Medway Maritime Hospital and provides perinatal mental health support, created and launched the Helping You Grow Stronger (HUGS) group in 2022 following an increase in referrals for pregnant women suffering with anxiety, low mood and social isolation.

Due to its success, Midwife Tamsin Knott, a former member of the team, helped set the service up at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust the following year. To ensure an equitable service is offered across the county, Team Lotus and Tamsin were asked to support midwives Sally Densham and Maisie Attree at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust to launch HUGS.

HUGS, which consists of four 90-minute self-help sessions on MS Teams, aims to support women and birthing people who are experiencing difficulties with their emotional wellbeing, by educating and helping them to develop the tools to identify and manage their needs during challenging life experiences.

The benefits of HUGS are:

shorter waiting times for support
improved signposting to other services
higher quality advice and practical mental health tools
enhanced peer support that contributed to a strong sense of community and connection among participants.

To date more than 300 people living in Medway and Swale, 117 people in west Kent and 17 people in east Kent have accessed HUGS.

Victoria, from Swale, who used the service, said: “I found the HUGS course while pregnant really helpful as it helped me to discuss my feelings with other mums and to know I wasn’t the only one feeling anxious about the unknown and the thought of giving birth.

“During the course, Irene gave some really good advice about how to cope when your feelings and emotions become overwhelming and all consuming. I would definitely do the course again if I were to become pregnant again as it was just so helpful.”

Faye, from Sittingbourne, said: “HUGS was invaluable for me during my last pregnancy. Being very anxious HUGS gave me not only the tools to work through that anxiety but knowing there was other mums to be that felt the same, made me feel less alone.”

A photo of four specialist midwives who make up Team Lotus standing in front of a wall mural of trees and lavender.

Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Midwife Irene Smith, who heads up Team Lotus (pictured), said: “One in four women will experience a mental health problem during pregnancy or after birth, and up to 70 per cent of them will not seek advice or support as they do not think it is important or do not want to be a burden.

“Thanks to Team Lotus’s efforts to expand the HUGS service, pregnant women living in east and west Kent are now also getting the help and support they need at the earliest opportunity.

“HUGS is a supportive environment in which we help break down the stigma of mental health in and around pregnancy and birth. It is a place where people feel safe, and their feelings are validated. We use many techniques and teachings in relation to antenatal and postnatal education, to help them prepare for a positive birth, and understand parent infant relationships, infant mental health, as well as their partner’s mental health. These can include birth art, journaling, breathing techniques, grounding, five senses, mindfulness, meditation, guided imagery, poetry, and peer support as women supporting women is a very powerful tool.”

Midwife Tamsin Knott set up the service for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.

Tamsin Knott, (pictured right) who runs the service for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells (MTW) NHS Trust, said: “I have seen incredible growth and resilience in those who have attended the group.

“Sharing a safe online space to provide psychological-education, explore and try techniques to manage symptoms, and address the impact pregnancy can have on someone’s wellbeing is a privilege and the positive feedback we have received shows it is really effective.”

Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Midwife Maisie Attree helps run the HUGS service for East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust.

Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Midwife Maisie Attree, who runs the service for East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We believe that when mums are well, babies thrive, and the positive feedback we’ve received is a testament to the meaningful difference this programme is making.

“We are excited to see more women access this valuable resource and experience the benefits of HUGS.”

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