Informing Perinatal Mental Health Services
INTERPERSONAL
Trusting relationship and rapport
The development of a trusting relationship and rapport between health professionals and women.
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Trusting relationship and rapport.
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Difficulties developing a trusting relationship.
Trusting relationship and rapport
The development of a trusting relationship is a facilitator to perinatal mental health care.
"It’s like family, almost. You know what I mean? It’ s somewhere where you already feel comfortable.."
Evidence level: High
Parts of the care pathway affected: Deciding to consult, Assessment, Decision to disclose, Access to treatment, Provision of optimal treatment, Women’s experience of treatment.
Key literature:
Difficulties developing a trusting relationship
Difficulties developing a trusting relationship and rapport between health professionals and women is a barrier to perinatal mental health care.
"I didn’t trust them I suppose so I didn’t tell the health visitors how I was feeling".
Evidence level: High
Parts of the care pathway affected: Deciding to consult, Assessment, Decision to disclose, Access to treatment, Provision of optimal treatment, Women’s experience of treatment
Key literature:
Recommendations
To ensure there are opportunities for health professionals and women to form trusting relationships, we recommend continuity of carer across the care pathway. A good example of this is The Tower Team based in the Tower Hamlets, London is a high-risk caseload midwifery team that works closely with the perinatal mental health team and the consultant obstetrician for mental health at St. Thomas’ hospital. The Tower Team offers continuity of care for women with severe mental illness from their maternity booking appointment, throughout pregnancy, intrapartum and for up to 28 days postpartum.