21 May 2026

APP May 2026 Newsletter

Northern Ireland MBU is confirmed: A moment we’ve fought for

Liz Morrison, Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP)’s Northern Ireland advisor, writes… 

After more than a decade of campaigning, we did it. You did it! On 30th April 2026, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt announced that Northern Ireland will finally have a mental health Mother and Baby Unit, to be built at Belfast City Hospital and open by 2028/29. For everyone who has been part of this fight — the mums who shared their stories, the families who raised their voices, and the APP community who kept going — this moment belongs to you.

APP has been campaigning for a Northern Ireland MBU since our inception in 2011, and it has been a long road. By the time this unit opens, it will be 20 years since the Stormont Health Committee first acknowledged the urgent need for an MBU here — and in that time, around 2,000 mums will have needed one, including about 700 with postpartum psychosis. Those women were separated from their babies at the most vulnerable moments of their lives, and that has caused years of trauma for mums and their children. That is the bittersweet reality of this announcement. We welcome it warmly, while holding in mind all those who needed this care and didn’t have it.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has spoken openly about his own family’s experience of severe postnatal mental illness, and we think that personal understanding matters. He has described the absence of an MBU as “unacceptable” and made it a priority to act — and we are glad that he has.

There was plenty of media coverage of the announcement. The work isn’t finished yet. APP will hold the next Health Minister and the Department of Health to account on timings and delivery, and we will keep making noise until the doors of that unit open.

But most of all, thank you. To every mum who told her story, signed a petition, wrote to an MLA, or simply kept going — this is down to you.

You can read more about the announcement here.

If you have experience of PP or severe postnatal mental illness, live in Northern Ireland and would like to join our continuing campaign for a Mother and Baby Unit or learn more about our peer support café group, please get in touch: app@app-network.org. 

 

Thank you for supporting Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week

We want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who got involved in Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week. 

Your support was invaluable in raising awareness about postpartum psychosis, letting people know they’re not alone and where to find help.  

To support the week, which is organised each year by the Perinatal Mental Health Partnership, APP shared content each day and ran events. Highlights included:

Overall, our media activity reached more than 900,000 people across the week. If you haven't already, don't forget to join the APP network to connect with others, receive our newsletter and help to change things for the future.

It’s also not too late to join in with our #MilesForMumsAndBabies challenge for May. Get in touch if you'd like to sign up: fundraising@app-network.org

 

APP Collaborative Poem - celebrating the strength of our voices

As part of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, and in line with this year’s theme ‘A Decade of Voices’, we invited our network to contribute to a collaborative poem using the sentence starter ‘My voice found strength when…’

Thank you so much to those of you who sent in a line for this piece. The result - using audio recordings sent in with some of the lines, and staff voices for those without - was shared at the end of the awareness week.

We have since received further contributions and the poem can be read in full below:

My voice found strength when I found someone who really wanted to listen.
My voice found strength when I found a community who helped me find the words.
My voice found strength when I set my thoughts free from my own mind and shared them with others.
My voice found strength when I met others who had been through it, and understood.
My voice found strength when I realised I wasn’t alone.

My voice found strength when I heard the voices of others.
My voice found strength when I learned I wasn't alone - when the echoes answered back, and I heard my story living in someone else's words.
My voice found strength when I was being advocated for…
My voice found strength when I realised I was no longer paranoid!
My voice found strength when after 2 months of separation from my baby, I was finally told ‘you will get well’ - a glimmer of hope held out to me in Melbury Lodge.

My voice found strength when I stopped questioning my own that was already there, within.
My voice found strength when I went public on television, radio, face-to-face, and print, discussing my lived experience with maternal mental health.
My voice found strength when I realised I wasn’t the only one.
My voice found strength when I followed the voice of my Shepherd.
My voice found strength when I knew there was hope.

My voice found strength when I realised I was not alone in what I went through and that it was not my fault that I got ill.
My voice found strength when I let go of shame.
My voice found strength when I allowed for quiet pauses.
My voice found strength when I realised I wasn’t alone and that what happened was not abnormal.
My voice found strength when I finally understood that what had happened to me wasn’t my fault.
My voice found strength when I crawled out of the clouds of doom and started looking for the stars.

My voice found strength when I rested in solidarity and accepted none of this was mine or anyone’s fault.
My voice found strength when I found courage to share my story with others.
My voice found strength when I started to use it to let other mothers struggling know there will be brighter days again.
My voice found strength when I could stop blaming myself and start using my experience to help others.
“Try to leave the painful memories behind and look forward to your future life!”
My voice found strength when we shared our most vulnerable moments and in solidarity we realised we’ve been to hell and back and here now we sit smiling wide with open hearts, tender to support each other.

My voice found strength when someone thanked me for healing loudly, so we don’t lose others in the silence.
My voice found strength when I realised I had made it through.
My voice found strength when I dared to let myself be loved again.
My voice found strength when I could choose self love over fear.
My voice found strength when I felt seen and heard as a woman and as a Mother.
My voice found strength when I started to believe I was a good Mama.
My voice found strength when you showed me I was your mother. 

 

Join our new Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales café group

We’re launching a new APP peer support café group in the North West, covering Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales! The first meeting will be on Thursday 18th June from 10:30am to 12:30pm. 

Come along to our friendly, welcoming peer support group in Chester for anyone who has experienced psychosis in the perinatal period. Whether it’s recent or many years ago, you’re very welcome to join us for a brew and a chat. Learn more here.

Hannah Bissett, APP’s National Coordinator (NHS Contracts), said: “We’re really pleased to be expanding our peer support in the North West, with a project at Seren Lodge Mother and Baby Unit in Chester alongside this new café group in the community for mums living in Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales, in partnership with Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.”

We’re planning more meet-ups across Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales and we’d love to meet you. Get in touch for more info and upcoming dates: chester@app-network.org 

 

APP 2026 webinar: book your free place now

On Wednesday 14th October, APP will be hosting the Alex Baish Memorial Webinar for frontline health professionals working with families in the perinatal period.

Suicide remains a leading cause of maternal death in the UK. This free webinar is open to frontline health professionals, including GPs, midwives, antenatal educators, health visitors, and ambulance and emergency department staff.

APP experts, families with lived experience and clinicians will highlight the early signs and symptoms of postpartum psychosis and discuss how frontline health professionals can work with perinatal mental health teams to help prevent maternal suicides.

This will be the fourth in the webinar series. Nearly 10,000 health professionals have watched our webinars in previous years. Of attendees, 92% rated the training as ‘excellent’; 8% rated it ‘good’ and 100% agreed they would change their practice as a result:

“Best training I have ever attended; very engaging, informative with useful tips I can use in work as a Health Visitor.”

“Thank you so much. Every GP should watch this.”

The webinar will be recorded and made available on our website; please register to attend here to be kept up to date. For more information, please email training@app-network.org.

Help us spread the word about the webinar. Please consider displaying our webinar poster at your workplace to help promote this important session on preventing maternal suicide. You can download and print a copy of the webinar poster here, or please email us to request a copy of the poster for free. Share your thoughts and let others know you’re attending this October by posting on social media using the hashtag #PreventingMaternalSuicide and tagging @ActionOnPP on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

 

Celebrating our volunteers during Volunteers’ Week 2026

Volunteers’ Week (1st - 7th June)  is an annual UK-wide campaign held from the first Monday in June to celebrate and recognise the contributions of volunteers. 

Our volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. Through their compassion, dedication, and lived experience, they help ensure that women and families affected by postpartum psychosis feel understood, supported, and never alone.

Across the UK, APP volunteers give their time in so many meaningful ways. From facilitating peer support groups and offering one to one support, to helping raise awareness, sharing personal stories, supporting research, fundraising, and contributing behind the scenes, every volunteer plays an important role in our community.

Many of our volunteers bring lived experience of postpartum psychosis, offering hope and reassurance to women and families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Their empathy and understanding can make an enormous difference to someone’s recovery journey.

Volunteers’ Week gives us the opportunity to recognise the remarkable contribution our volunteers make every single day. Their kindness, generosity, and commitment help APP continue to grow and reach more families who need support.

During Volunteers’ Week we invite our brilliant volunteer team to join us for an informal opportunity to connect, celebrate, and recognise the incredible contribution they make to women and families affected by postpartum psychosis. 

We’ll be holding two virtual get-togethers during Volunteers' Week, all our volunteers are welcome: 

  • Wednesday 3rd June - pop in at 1.00pm
  • Thursday 4th June - pop in at 7.30pm

Let us know if you plan to come along by emailing app@app-network.org, and we’ll send you the Zoom link. We hope you can join us and celebrate together during Volunteers' Week.

To every APP volunteer, thank you. Thank you for the care you show, the conversations you have, the time you give, and the hope you bring to others. Your contribution is truly valued, and we are so grateful to have you as part of the APP community.

 

APP supports new play about postpartum psychosis

Baby Brain, a brand new play about motherhood, giving birth and postpartum psychosis, starring BAFTA winner Kimberley Nixon (C4’s Fresh Meat, Wild Child), will tour the UK.

Members of the APP team were given the opportunity to review the script, co-written by Kimberley and writer/directors Tim Clague and Danny Stack. We’re now collaborating with the team to support the tour and raise further awareness of postpartum psychosis.

The story, inspired in part by Kimberley Nixon’s personal experience of postnatal mental illness, uses stand-up comedy as a storytelling technique, providing a light and humorous contrast to some of the more difficult themes explored. 

The play will be staged at Pontpridd on 30th May before going on to theatres around the UK, including Poole, Manchester, London and the Edinburgh Fringe. 

Find out more and book tickets here.

 

Dr Clare Dolman joins APP Ambassador team

We are delighted to announce that international women’s mental health advocate, researcher and campaigner, Dr Clare Dolman, is now an official ambassador for Action on Postpartum Psychosis.

Clare recently retired from APP’s trustee board after 15 years service with the charity. She joins poet, author and illustrator, Laura Dockrill; Maccabees member and record producer, Hugo White; and author and publisher Catherine Cho, as Ambassadors, supporting APP to increase national and international awareness of the illness.

Dr Dolman said: “I’m thrilled to become an Ambassador for APP – a charity I have supported from its foundation. Peer support and the importance of lived experience is at the heart of everything APP does and I’m very glad to support them in any way I can.”

Jess Heron, CEO, Action on Postpartum Psychosis said: “We are so delighted that Clare will continue her work with us in the role of Ambassador. Clare played such a pivotal role in shaping the work of our charity and has done so much to improve compassionate and effective care for women, raise awareness, and challenge the shame, stigma and misinformation that surrounds PP.”

 

Celebrating our forum milestone!

Our online peer support forum, hosted on HealthUnlocked, hit a huge 4,000 members last month.

Launched in October 2012, membership on the forum has grown steadily since. Moderated by our peer support staff and volunteers, it is a space for anyone affected by postpartum psychosis to ask questions, share their stories and support each other through shared experiences.

The forum can be accessed worldwide and aims to provide comfort, connection and hope to those who have experienced, or been impacted by, postpartum psychosis. If you're part of our lived experience network and are not already a forum member, we'd love to welcome you to our forum community.

 

APP in schools

APP Head of Fundraising Fliss spoke to A Level Psychology students at Dr Challoners High School for Girls in Buckinghamshire at the end of April. 

She talked about postpartum psychosis, including symptoms to look out for, support and treatment; as well as the psychology of fundraising.  The students were really interested and asked some great questions.  

If anyone is interested in doing a talk at their local school, do get in touch. We’re also currently working on some resources about PP for secondary schools and we’d welcome any teachers to contact us who might like to find out more about this - email Fliss.

 

In the media

APP’s Northern Ireland advisor Liz Morrison spoke to BBC News Online, ITV and Cool FM about the news that a Northern Ireland mental health Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) will open within 3 years. The news was also covered by Belfast Live and Belfast Telegraph. 

APP Fundraisers and London Marathon runners Kayleigh and Rachel shared their PP experiences with their local newspaper websites. 

Kiesha talked about her postpartum psychosis experience in her Out Loud at Last podcast.

Wales Online featured news about the play, Baby Brain, and APP. 

In Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, APP volunteers Eve and Jade were in conversation on the Perinatal Mental Health Partnership social media pages. Jade also appeared on ITV’s This Morning, discussing her experience of postpartum psychosis.

 

Fabulous fundraisers

Another massive well done and thank you to all our amazing marathon runners so far this year! We had an incredible day cheering on our 14 strong team in London, plus we had three runners represent APP in Manchester, and one in Prague! Together our marathon runners have raised nearly £60,000 - just amazing. Thank you so much to every runner and to everyone who supported them.

If you were inspired watching the London Marathon this year, there’s still a chance to apply to be part of APP’s team in 2027 - more information and the application form are here. We’ve had a lot of interest already so please do include as much detail as possible in your application form.

Plus we have access to hundreds of other events, so if a full marathon isn’t your thing, check out some of the other options we have available here.

May has been an extremely busy month for fundraisers! Starting with Ciara running the Prague Marathon, followed by Heather and her family taking on the Chorley Run and Christina (pictured above) conquering the London Toughmudder.

Then just last weekend fundraisers were out again right across the country with Alisha representing APP in the Hackney Half; Scott, Eleanor and Chantelle running the Chester Half Marathon; Kayleigh and her family taking part in the Sunderland BIG 3k Run;  Jackie and her team taking on the Yorkshire 3 Peaks and Teresa, Jenny and Izzy completing an epic 100km Ultrachallenge along the Jurassic Coast!

As well as all of these incredible achievements, we also have so many amazing fundraisers taking part in our Miles for Mums and Babies challenge throughout May. Walking, running, swimming, cycling and rollerblading their way around the UK - you can read more about all of them here.


It’s never too late to get involved in Miles for Mums & Babies if you fancy joining in - you can plan your own challenge for any time of year. Find out more here. For example, amazing fundraiser Hayley (pictured above) is currently part way through a massive year long challenge - a virtual ‘Couch to Cairo’ 3880 km cycle ride! So far she’s ridden all the way from Huddersfield to Geneva, and she’s on track to reach Pompeii by the end of June. An incredible effort, thank you Hayley!

Looking ahead, good luck to APP trustee Tracey who will be heading to the Lake District to represent APP in the Great North Swim in beautiful Lake Windermere; to Charlie and Bobbi running in the Great Manchester 10k; and to Alice and Lucy who will be taking on an inflatable challenge in Bristol!

And last but by no means least, our biggest challenge of the year so far - APP Peer Supporter Rachel and her partner James, not content with already completing the London marathon last month - will be running/walking/crawling a massive 84 miles between Leeds MBU and Ribblemere MBU on 6th-7th June. If you’re in the area, pop along to give them a cheer and help them along their way. Good luck Rachel and James!

 

Dates for your diary

  • APP Birmingham face to face café group meet up, Friday 29th May 
  • APP Manchester face to face café group meet up, Friday 29th May 
  • Volunteers' Week, Monday 1st - Sunday 7th June
  • APP peer support virtual café group meet up - mental health difficulties after postpartum psychosis, Wednesday 3rd June
  • APP Muslim women’s virtual café group meet up, Thursday 4th June
  • APP Lancashire and South Cumbria face to face café group meet up in Blackburn, Friday 5th June
  • APP London face to face café group meet up, Saturday 6th June
  • APP North West virtual café group meet up, Monday 8th June
  • APP creative connections virtual meeting, Tuesday 9th June
  • APP Northern Ireland virtual café group meet up, Thursday 11th June
  • APP Lancashire and South Cumbria face to face café group meet up in Blackpool, Friday 12th June
  • APP Scotland face to face café group meet up in Edinburgh, Saturday 13th June
  • APP North Wales face to face café group meet up, Saturday 13th June
  • APP London virtual café group meet up, Monday 15th June
  • APP dads and co-parents virtual café group meet up, Wednesday 17th June
  • APP UK-wide virtual café group meet up, Thursday 18th June
  • APP Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales face to face café group meet up in Chester, Thursday 18th June 
  • APP Black women’s virtual café group meet up, Friday 19th June
  • APP South Wales face to face café group meet up in Newport, Saturday 20th June
  • Father's Day, Sunday 21st June 
  • International Fathers' Mental Health Day, Monday 22nd June
  • APP wellbeing event: online Matrescence workshop with Maggie Gordon-Walker, Thursday 25th June
  • APP Manchester face to face café group meet up, Friday 26th June 

Contact information for all APP café groups is available here.

 

Conferences and events

Improving Perinatal Mental Health Services, Thursday 2nd July
Online conference featuring presentations from expert speakers at local and national levels on improving perinatal mental health services. A 20% discount is available for members of the APP network with code hcuk20app .  

MBRRACE-UK virtual conferences, Thursday 10th September and Thursday 8th October
Two one-day events for any health professionals involved in the delivery of maternity and neonatal care, as well as interested members of the public.

  • Presenting the MBRRACE-UK 'Saving Lives, Improving Mothers' Care' Report 2026 on Thursday 10th September.
  • Presenting the MBRRACE-UK Perinatal Reports 2026 on Thursday 8th October 2026.

APP webinar 2026: Essential knowledge for preventing maternal suicide, Wednesday 14th October
Free webinar for health professionals working with families in the perinatal period. APP experts, families with lived experience and clinicians will highlight the early signs and symptoms of postpartum psychosis and discuss how frontline health professionals can work with perinatal mental health teams to help prevent maternal suicides. 

Register to attend here.

If you would like to advertise your event here, please get in touch: app@app-network.org.