Making a Difference to Local Services
Congratulations to APP Peer Support Coordinator, Ellie Ware, who has been appointed to the Executive Group of the Sussex Perinatal Mental Health Clinical Network.
Sussex is one of 20 areas across the country which will benefit from funding to improve care for pregnant women and new mums experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, mental health difficulties.
The Executive Group is intended to be the "driving vehicle for the perinatal mental health programme of work" and oversee delivery of outcomes. In other words, make sure that change happens and services improve. Ellie says:
"It's really exciting and a real privilege to be asked to be part of the Executive Group that will be developing the Sussex perinatal mental health service, which is my local service.
I hope to bring not only my own personal experience of PP -- what was good about my care and what could have been better -- but all the stories and voices of the women and families APP support."
Sussex Partnership currently offers a Specialist Community Perinatal Service in Brighton & Hove and in East Sussex. The new funding will allow the team to expand and to provide specialist support to women, their families and their babies across the whole county – for the first time in West Sussex – and at East Surrey Hospital.
Photo shows Peer Support Coordinators Ellie Ware (left) and Hannah Bissett (right) representing APP at London South Bank University Perinatal Mental Health for Healthcare Professionals conference in September 2017.