Tags: mental health

Updated mental health GPPs for #iHVPIMH19

iHV is delighted to share updated Good Practice Points (providing up-to-date evidence and references for our members) in support of our multi-agency Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Conference taking place tomorrow, Tuesday 10 September in London.

Perinatal and Infant Mental Health: Relationships Matter! Conference is being held in collaboration with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance. If you were not able to get a ticket before they sold out, please do follow the day’s conference proceedings on the hashtag #iHVPIMH19 on Twitter!

Printed copied of these updated Good Practice Points (GPPs) will be available to conference delegate members tomorrow – so do pop along to our Training & Resources stand to pick up your copy.

Electronic versions of these updated documents are available to our members on the links below – do remember to sign in to access them:

Go to GPP - Understanding Mothers’ Mental Health & Wellbeing (updated August 2019)

Go to GPP - Understanding Fathers’ Mental Health & Wellbeing (updated June 2019)

Go to GPP - Engaging with Fathers (updated August 2019)

Go to GPP - Postnatal Psychosis (updated August 2019)

Please note that GPPs are available to iHV members only.

If you’re not a member, please join us to get access to all of our resources.

The iHV is a self-funding charity – we can only be successful in our mission to strengthen health visiting practice if the health visiting profession and its supporters join us on our journey. We rely on our membership to develop new resources for our members.

So do join us now!

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iHV Fellow presents on International Fathers’ Mental Health Day

On International Fathers’ Mental Health Day (#DadsMHDay) 2019, we are delighted that one of our iHV Fellows, Sharin Baldwin, presented at the Talking Dads conference in Blackpool today – organised by the Blackpool Centre for Early Child Development.

Sharin Baldwin RN, RM, RHV, QN, FiHV, iHV Research Champion, BSc (Hons), PG Dip, MSc, NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellow, King’s College London Clinical Academic Lead, Nursing and Midwifery, London North West University Healthcare Trust

The Talking Dads Conference brought together a national audience of fellow practitioners, academics and volunteers to discuss the importance of Dads in early years, with leading national experts, including Sharin, in the field of early child development providing a national and international perspective on the innovative work surrounding the role of Dads, and that of men’s mental health and wellbeing.

Updated resource

In addition on #DadsMHDay, we are pleased to share updated resources from Sharin for health visitors:

UPDATED GPP – Understanding father’s mental health & wellbeing during their transition to fatherhood

These updated GPPs set out what health visitors need to know about Understanding  Fathers’ Mental Health & Wellbeing during their transition to parenthood. As part of every contact, HVs should routinely enquire about fathers’ mental health and wellbeing, and offer appropriate support and advice to fathers, as well as mothers.

They provide updated evidence and references.

Go to GPP - Understanding father’s mental health & wellbeing during their transition to fatherhood

iHV PIMH Conference – Perinatal and Infant Mental Health: Relationships Matter!

Why not join us at our forthcoming annual Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (PIMH) Conference where we are delighted to announce that Sharin will be speaking.

Perinatal and Infant Mental Health: Relationships Matter! is being held on 10 September in London – bookings are now open and we do expect tickets to go quickly – our last two conferences have been sold out!

Book your place at our PIMH conference today - don't be disappointed!

About Sharin

Sharin is a trained nurse, midwife and health visitor. She is a keen advocate for health visiting and her research interest is Mental Health and Wellbeing of Fathers, an area that is fairly neglected. She is currently undertaking a PhD in this area (www.newdadstudy.com) at King’s College London and is the first health visitor to be awarded a Clinical Doctoral Fellowship by NIHR.

Sharin also works as Clinical Academic Lead in London North West Healthcare Trust. She is a Queen’s Nurse, Fellow of the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV), iHV Perinatal Mental Health Champion and Health Visitor Research Champion. She has co-authored a book chapter titled ‘Working in Diverse Communities’ in a health visiting text book. Sharin has published several research papers in reputable professional journals and is a peer reviewer for the International Journal of Nursing Studies, Primary Health Care Research and Development, Midwifery and the Institute of Health Visiting. Sharin is also on the editorial board for the Journal of Health Visiting.

https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/sharin.1.baldwin.html

New opportunity with iHV – Professional Development Officer, PIMH

Exciting and unique development opportunity with the Institute

Professional Development Officer, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health, South of England

The iHV is seeking to appoint health visitor expert in perinatal and infant mental health and practice development to work with them supporting training and various other related projects, as well as covering some national meetings. The post holder will be up to full time but could be 4 days, we would also consider a job share if the post holders were based in different areas of the country.

The post holder, who will have a master’s degree, will ideally be based in the South of England but this isn’t essential and will be prepared to travel within the post, mostly within the UK, but potentially also to European countries. They will ideally be an iHV infant and perinatal mental health champion, have broad experience in these fields, with additional research or project development experience.

A confident self-starter, they will deliver training, attend meetings, develop regional forums for our PIMH Champions and input advice to other work streams on request including to a European project just funded.

The post holder will be highly respected by colleagues for their capacity to drive and deliver local professional developments.

1-year post/secondment in the first instance with expectation of extension.  The Institute offers a competitive pension scheme.

For further details, job description and application form

Applications close: 9.00 am Monday 18 March 2019

Interviews:  Thursday 4 April 2019 

iHV partners with PHE in ground-breaking commitment to better mental health

The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) has signed up to Public Health England’s (PHE) Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health. This will see iHV work closely with PHE to take significant steps towards the promotion of good mental health and the prevention of mental health problems.

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, Executive Director Institute of Health Visiting, with the iHV’s signatory certificate for Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, Executive Director of the Institute of Health Visiting, said:

“The Institute is delighted to have been awarded as a Signatory for the Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health. Our work in Perinatal and Infant Mental Health, in particular our Champions project, acts on the recognition that parental and infant mental health are crucial to good mental health across the life-course. We support our Champions at every local level to lead the shift towards prevention-focused care, enabling early help through the use of upstream interventions at every level of need.

“The Institute is absolutely committed to supporting local authorities, policy makers, parents, NHS clinical commissioners, service providers and the voluntary sector to promote a prevention-focused approach towards improving the public’s mental health.”

The Prevention Concordat Programme for Better Mental Health marked the first time that agencies across the community and care sectors came together to make prevention a priority for mental health. Now 74 organisations representing all sectors have signed up and committed to action. These organisations are benefiting from resources designed specifically to help local areas put in place effective prevention planning arrangements.

The promotion of good mental health is everyone’s responsibility and can only be achieved by working together. As a signatory to the concordat, we recognise that we can all contribute to improving mental health and wellbeing and reducing stigma, facilitate local and national action around preventing mental health problems and promote good mental health.

Lily Makurah, national lead for public mental health at PHE, said:

“The Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health exists to help communities prevent mental health problems and promote good mental health. Through local and national action across sectors we can all contribute to improving mental health and wellbeing, improve outcomes and reduce stigmas for everyone. We’re delighted that the Institute of Health Visiting has joined the growing list of signatories.”

Find out more about Our Work in Mental Health

Background to the Concordat

New publications on fathers’ mental health and wellbeing

iHV Fellow, Sharin Baldwin, publishes Systematic Review on First Time Fathers’ Mental Health and Wellbeing and accompanying editorial on the importance of men’s mental health to coincide with International Men’s Day (19 November) – a worldwide celebration of the positive value that men bring to the world, their families and communities.

They both are open access publications.

Sharin Baldwin

Sharin Baldwin

 Systematic Review on First Time Fathers’ Mental Health and Wellbeing

The findings from the systematic review on first time fathers’ mental health and wellbeing  revealed that fathers wanted:

  • More guidance and support to prepare them for parenthood, specifically to better prepare them for subsequent relationship changes with their partner
  • Access to tailored information and to be equally included in consultations and contacts with relevant health professionals.
Go to Mental health and wellbeing during the transition to fatherhood - a systematic review of first time fathers’ experiences

The synthesis of the international evidence has important implications for healthcare professionals working with families in the early years, with particular reference to the need to consider the mental health and wellbeing of mothers and fathers. The review also highlighted that healthcare professionals need a greater understanding of the dilemmas and challenges that new fathers face to better support their mental health and wellbeing during this crucial transitional period.

Evidence from our systematic review adds further support for an urgent review of how we plan, provide and resource maternity and early years services, in order to recognise the impact that pregnancy and birth may have on a father’s mental health, as well as the essential role fathers play in supporting their partner and infant. If the aim of health research is to improve outcomes through the implementation of evidence and use of evidence-based practices, we should ask ourselves why barriers persist to address and recognise paternal mental health needs. Now is the time to use this evidence to change practice towards supporting both parents and provide more equitable care and use of resources.

Editorial piece on the importance of men’s mental health

Editorial: Mental health of first time fathers – it's time to put evidence into practice

Further information

For further information on Sharin’s research, please see her study website.

Sharin Baldwin RN, RM, RHV, QN, FiHV, HV Research Champion, BSc (Hons), PG Dip, MSc

NIHR Clinical Doctoral Fellow, King’s College London

Clinical Academic for Community Nursing, London North West University Healthcare Trust

iHV publishes response to NHS Mental Health consultation

The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) has published its response to the consultation – Mental Health in the Long-Term Plan for the NHS.

The consultation is to identify opportunities to deliver the NHS’s goal to provide world-class mental healthcare – improving the outcomes for everyone who uses the NHS services.

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, Executive Director, Institute of Health Visiting said:

“At the Institute, we firmly believe there is no health without mental health, which is why we have perinatal and infant mental health (PIMH) as a priority focus. We welcome the opportunity to respond to this consultation to ensure that all families get consistent, accessible, high quality care and support for their mental health during the perinatal period. Our response reflects the many consultations and surveys we have done with our members and other stakeholders over the recent months and years.”

The Institute’s response includes its top three priorities in mental health:

  • Resourcing health visiting services through joint commissioning which formally requires health visitors to take a specific lead for perinatal and infant mental health;
  • Closing the gap between knowledge of what affects child and family mental health, and how services are commissioned and organised to implement this knowledge;
  • A need to concentrate efforts to create a much wider understanding of the epidemiology of mental illness with so much of it having its origins in the very first years of life.

Dr Adams continued:

“Early intervention for families in the perinatal period will reduce the burden of mental illness across the life-course! We have to get that message over to politicians and policy makers, so that funding is allocated upstream and not disproportionately spent on secondary and tertiary care, fixing problems that could have been prevented from occurring in the first place.

“This submission focuses on how, with the right support from the NHS and partner organisations, health visitors can ensure that all families with children receive the right care and support for their mental health, at the right time, in the right place.”

Download iHV's response to Mental Health in the Long-Term Plan for the NHS Consultation

Download Appendix to Mental Health in the Long-Term Plan for the NHS Consultation

 

iHV welcomes Mental Health Policy Commission: Investing in a Resilient Generation report

The root causes of mental health problems can often be traced to adversity in childhood or adolescence, but the effects can have a life-long impact on well-being and the ability to live a satisfying and productive life throughout adulthood.

iHV welcomes Mental Health Policy Commission: Investing in a Resilient Generation report which sets out the evidence base around the factors that can impact on young people’s mental health.

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, Executive Director iHV commented:

“This is a very timely and helpful piece of work emphasising the huge benefits to NHS spending from investing in prevention of mental illness in the very early years, and in schools. We really hope that local authorities will take note of its recommendations and reconsider any more cuts planned to health visitor services. Savings can be made in different ways and this document makes clear that cutting preventative services creates a significant burden of expenditure that must be picked up later by public services.

“It is time to be brave and invest for tomorrow, not today, giving more children a bright future by supporting them as babies and infants when supportive interventions for families have the most powerful impact on their mental wellbeing. The toll of mental illness is now so significant and conspicuous that there is a civil and moral duty for all those with influence to reduce this by supporting investment into early preventative strategies as laid out in the recommendations of this report.”

Go to Mental Health Policy Commission: Investing in a Resilient Generation report

MPs launch inquiry into impact of social media on young people’s mental health and wellbeing

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Social Media and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing has today (29 June 2018) launched an inquiry to establish what actions must be taken both to tackle the negative impacts of social media use, and to maximise the positives for young people.

The inquiry aims to build on the work of the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH)’s 2017 report, #StatusOfMind, which found that although social media use has many potential positives for mental wellbeing, such as maintaining friendships and providing a source of emotional support, for young people the impact is primarily negative, fuelling feelings of anxiety, depression, and ‘fear of missing out’.

Polling conducted by RSPH in April 2018 on behalf of the new APPG found that more than half of the UK public (52%) say not enough is being done by social media companies to address the impact of social media on mental health and wellbeing, with two in five (41%) also saying the Government is not doing enough. Four in five (80%) say tighter regulation of social media companies is needed, with almost half (45%) saying this should be done through a self-regulated Code of Conduct, and more than one third (36%) saying it should be legally enforced by Government.

The APPG’s inquiry aims to determine what should be contained in any such Code of Conduct, and how it should be enforced. It will also seek out and recommend other progressive and practical solutions that can help maximise the positives and mitigate the negatives of social media for young people.

The inquiry will be open to receive written and recorded evidence until 13 August 2018, with a number of oral evidence sessions to be held in Parliament in the autumn. The APPG hopes to engage with expert stakeholders including academics, charities, government officials, social media industry representatives, parents and young people themselves, in order to answer four broad questions:

  1. What is the latest evidence of the impact of social media on mental health and wellbeing?
  2. What constitutes a ‘healthy’ and beneficial relationship with social media for young people?
  3. What should be done by government and by the social media industry to address these issues?
  4. What solutions can be provided in terms of technological innovation and education?

Organisations and individuals interested in submitting evidence to the inquiry should download the Call for Evidence from the APPG website at www.rsph.org.uk/socialmediaappg.

Download Call for Evidence

iHV supports Silent Catastrophe report call for action

The Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP), has launched a report, ‘Silent Catastrophe’, which highlights that children and young people with the most severe and long-standing needs are being failed by NHS child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), as specialist services disappear and it becomes increasingly hard to provide effective care and treatment. The report aims to offer ways of working towards better services that meet the needs of all children and young people.

The ACP is calling for a renewal of mental health care and treatment for children and young people through a whole system response including public health and treatment components.

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, Executive Director iHV, commented:

“The Institute of Health Visiting is delighted to support the Silent Catastrophe report call for action to renew high quality, safe and effective services for children, young people and their families.  In particular, the need to invest more into public health interventions to stop children slipping through the net until they require expensive and often long term therapy. This should reduce the current pressure on these services and makes clear economic sense.”

ACP calls for early intervention in the community as well as access to highly trained clinicians, working in multi-disciplinary teams, who have the skills and experience to respond to the complexity of emotional, behavioural and developmental difficulties that many children, young people and families are experiencing in 2018. They say that more funding is needed but there may be scope to do better even with existing levels as the report shows that the way some services have been re-designed can be ineffective in cost terms, as well as in outcomes for children and young people.

Find out more about ACP Silent Catastrophe

Who’s the bloke in the room? report

“Who’s the bloke in the room?” a report published by the Fatherhood Institute and funded by the Nuffield Foundation, details how expectant fathers in Britain are key influences on maternal and infant health and wellbeing, including on pregnant women’s smoking, diet, physical activity and mental health, and on children’s later adjustment.

The Fatherhood Institute’s report, Who’s the bloke in the room? recommends a more family-centred service that enrols expectant fathers in maternity services from ‘booking in’, records and responds to their health needs and behaviours, and which trains maternity staff to engage with them. The Fatherhood Institute calls on the NHS to include expectant and new fathers at all stages and inform them as thoroughly as it currently informs pregnant women and new mothers.

You can access the full Who’s the bloke in the room? report (and others in the series) here