Raising the Roof on Post Natal Depression (PND)

The Birmingham Local Involvement Network (LINk), via its Women’s Health and Maternity Action Group, was alerted to a possible lack of awareness and service provision concerning Post Natal Depression (PND) across Birmingham. It was felt that there had never been a pan-Birmingham agreement or understanding as to what PND was and how best to tackle what is an already serious and difficult subject.

On 19 October 2010, the LINk hosted an event called, “Raising the Roof on Postnatal Depression”. The event, hosted at the Muath Centre, was aimed at both healthcare professionals and service users and was tasked with raising awareness about what PND was and also offering the chance for professionals to see what services were available to them and their clients across the city. This was felt extremely important by the Action group members as it would allow, for the first time, an overview of PND provisions and accessibility spanning all local PCTs and wards as well as offering a detailed ‘mapping’ service to those who required such help.

With over 200 people attending throughout the course of the day, the event (and therefore the LINk) was able to interact with a large group of people whose own experiences, both in a professional and personal capacity, shaped the nature of the discussions and allowed people to network and learn more about the subject.

As a result of the event, the LINk was able to produce a brochure detailing all available PND services across the city and distribute it to all those who attended.