Skip to main content
NHS

Spotlights:
Perinatal Mental Health (2022-2023)

coloured shape coloured shape

ChatHealth

We’ve helped more than 40 NHS health visiting services to set up safe and secure ChatHealth messaging lines. This means the parents and carers of more than 2 million children aged 0-5 have easy, inclusive access to quality advice and support for perinatal mental health from local health visitors.

Recognising that service users were successfully engaging with health visitors via messaging, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust set up Mum’s Mind in 2019 – the UK’s first dedicated perinatal mental health messaging service, powered by ChatHealth. It offers advice and information to support mothers across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland who struggle with mental health issues during pregnancy and baby’s first year. A similar perinatal mental health messaging service is currently being implemented in Plymouth.

Download ChatHealth product guide

Visit ChatHealth website

Services supporting families with perinatal mental health are offering ChatHealth to:

  • improve access to perinatal mental health support
  • respond to increasing demand
  • offer earlier intervention and support

Top Reasons for Contact

  • Emotional Support
  • Anxiety
  • Depression

Busiest Time for Contact

On Monday and Wednesday
between 8am and noon

What Service Users Say

“I was struggling so much today but having someone at the end of a text that’s willing to help is great.”

What Staff Users Say

“We know 20% of women will experience mental health problems during the perinatal period. What we want Mum’s Mind to do is improve access to services. We want people to be able to speak about their mental health problems.”

Service User Stories

Collection of case studies of perinatal mental health related contacts received by Perinatal Mental Health and Health Visiting services via messaging.

Evidence

Peer reviewed article in the Mental Health Practice Journal explores the implementation of a messaging service in a perinatal mental service.

View all Spotlights >