Service Capacity Building – Perinatal Mental Health

Executive Summary

In 2011, Midland Women’s Health Care Place Inc (MWHCP) received a Mental Health Capacity Building Grant from the Western Australian Mental Health Commission to assist in the measurement of perinatal depression services provided by MWHCP to the region with the aim of improving service quality.

The project recognised that Women’s Health Centres in Western Australia are key providers in the delivery of regional perinatal mental health services and the importance of working towards the development of a best practice model of service delivery.

Jill Cameron and Associates were contracted to undertake the project.

The core elements of the project were:

1. feedback from participants in MWHCP individual counselling and group programs for women experiencing perinatal mental health issues
2. identification of outcomes as perceived by participants
3. identification of factors participants perceived as contributing to successful or positive outcomes.

The people who participated in focus groups and telephone interviews identified the following factors that were important to them and the success of the PND service provided by MWHCP.

• The place where the service was delivered
• The people
  • The staff generally
  • The counsellor/s
• The program
  • Structure and organisation
  • Tools, reading material and handouts
  • Opportunity for partners to participate
  • Cost – affordability
  • Availability of the onsite crèche
  • The PND Program timing and length
  • Availability of follow up and support.
• Participants identified personal outcomes such as gaining confidence, normality, relief, support, reassurance, friendships, becoming more in control, assertive and understanding that they were not ‘the only one’ and no longer feeling consumed by problems and the challenges of motherhood.

To download a copy of the report, please click the link below:

Midland PND Consultant Report 2012 ( Print)