Pregnant women and mothers suffering from mental health problems will now have access to a range of new services in Ealing , Hounslow , Hammersmith and Fulham .
Perinatal care in West London Mental Health Trust (WLMHT) was recently handed a £1million investment from Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG's) in each of the boroughs.
The funds will be used to set up a new specialist mental health service for pregnant women and mothers post-birth.
Dr Sara Taha, perinatal consultant psychiatrist at WLMHT NHS Trust, said: "Mental health problems in pregnancy and after a baby are common and affect up to 20% of women.
"It is important that services give equal consideration to mental health and physical health problems in pregnancy and the postnatal period.
"This three-borough service is really good news for local people and we are extremely pleased to be delivering this new specialist mental health service.
"We will work closely with our partners in primary care, secondary care and the voluntary sector to ensure women receive joined up care, at the right time and in the right place.
“Our services will see women who are planning a pregnancy and need advice about their mental health.
"We will also care for women who are pregnant or have a baby up to 6 months old, who have a pre-existing mental illness, or who encounter mental illness for the first time during or after their pregnancy."
The service will be split into standard care, enhance care and specialist care.
Standard care will focus on low risk cases of women with mild-moderate disorders and enhanced care on women with a history of moderate-complex mental disorders.
Meanwhile specialist care will focus on women at high risk of a relapse of serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and severe depression.
Women will be referred to this service by GPs, midwives or health visitors.
For more information on the services available, you can visit the website here .
