27 May 2026

APP launches peer support service for Cheshire families affected by postpartum psychosis

We are launching an invaluable peer support service for women based in Cheshire who have experienced severe mental illness following the birth of their child.

Our brand-new North West peer support café group will hold its first in-person session on Thursday 18th June between 10.30am and 12.30pm. It is a completely free service for anyone who has experienced psychosis in the perinatal period (whether recently or many years ago) who would benefit from peer support.

PP is a severe but highly treatable postnatal mental illness that should always be treated as a medical emergency. The illness develops in the days, weeks or months after giving birth and acute symptoms include mania, confusion, hallucinations and delusions. Early warning signs include an inability to sleep, feeling excited, elated or ‘high’, restlessness, paranoia and anxiety – although symptoms can vary between individuals.

Chester-based Jocelyn Ellams, APP’s North West Peer Support Manager, experienced PP in 2015. She said: “I was living abroad when I became unwell with postpartum psychosis. So when I started experiencing psychotic symptoms I felt quite isolated. It was only when I stumbled across APP’s website and reached out to the peer supporters on their forum that I found other women who had been through what I had. It was a lifeline for me during a very lonely time. 

“Now I’m proud to give back through my work with APP where our café groups complement the online forum, allowing women to come together and share experiences in a compassionate and non-judgmental environment.”

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.”

APP already delivers successful and award-winning peer support services working in partnership with NHS Trusts around the UK, as well as managing its thriving online national peer support forum. The charity also provides peer support for partners or close relatives of women who are experiencing or have experienced postpartum psychosis.

Anyone who would like to reserve a place at the first APP Café Group in Chester can email chester@app-network.org

Strengthening Peer Support in Mother and Baby Units - RAPPORT study launch

The findings from the RAPPORT study evaluating APP’s peer support embedded in Mother and Baby Units have been launched at a special webinar.

RAPPORT (Realist evaluation of Action on Postpartum Psychosis MBU-embedded peer suppORT), led by Dr Annette Bauer at the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, assessed APP-provided peer support at three Mother and Baby Units in England (Lancashire, Birmingham and Manchester).

At the webinar on Thursday 7th May, the research team shared key insights on: the importance of providing peer support in MBUs; the impact on recovering women, the health professional team, and on peer supporters; and the essential ingredients for safe, supportive peer support delivery.

The event brought together researchers, clinicians, commissioners, peer support staff and people with lived experience to share findings and discuss implications for practice and future research.

The webinar can be seen here.

The study’s key findings are summarised here.

Read an overview of APP’s Mother and Baby Unit peer support model here.

26 May 2026

Rachel's story: When my midwife commented on how much I was doing, I realised there could be something wrong

After giving birth to my first baby, my midwife visited my home and found me cooking a meal. She asked how on earth I had time to cook when I had just come home from hospital. I realised at that point that I was doing too much – but I still tried to brush it off. Soon, however, I was making mistakes, feeling confused and seeing things that weren’t really there.

It was 2016 when I had my first baby. The pregnancy went well, but I was unsure which medication was safe for me to take, so I stopped taking it.

Rachel Rollins wearing a pink cardigan cradling her newborn baby

I had been on aripiprazole as I experienced a psychotic episode in 2007 and was diagnosed with acute transient psychotic disorder. I became worried about the side effects and the potential impact on my baby when I was pregnant, so I just stopped having it. The health professionals did talk to me about Mother and Baby Units, on the off chance that I became unwell, but I refused to go and look around because I was distrusting of that, as well.

The birth was quite traumatic because my baby had meconium in his lungs and had to go to the neonatal unit for four days. However, once he was well I felt positive and we all went home as a new family.

When I got home, I thought everything could go back to normal. I was cooking, cleaning, doing the night feeds and barely sleeping. When the midwife asked how on earth I had time to cook what with a new baby I thought maybe she has a point and maybe I am doing too much. But I still tried to brush it off.

Then I started making mistakes with the bottles, dropping them and getting the timings confused. I think that’s when the hallucinations started, as I would look at the clock and it would say 12pm, then I’d make a bottle and look back at the clock and it would say it was 3pm.

I tried to call the mental health team at one point but I kept making mistakes with the phone too. It was an old-style landline and I would hear it ringing but then I would look at where the phone was sitting on its dock and it wouldn’t be there. It was another hallucination.

Eventually, I got through to my husband who came home from work. He spoke with my Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN) and together they put a plan in place to get me back on my meds.

While I wasn’t keen on visiting the MBU at first, I was able to access the classes and therapy sessions there as an outpatient which really helped. We started changing how I managed things at home too, sharing the night feeds, and the cooking and the cleaning. I just didn’t know when to stop but I came to realise that I was simply doing too much. Eventually, I started to feel like myself again.

When I asked my husband if I was invisible he realised just how unwell I was

However, when my baby was two I had another relapse. I think the stress of moving house and getting married might have played a role in that, as well as me coming off the meds again because we were trying for another baby. This was quite a big relapse and I remember thinking I was in the movie, Lucy (with Scarlett Johansson), and believing I had these superpowers and could travel through time.

When I asked my husband if I was invisible he realised just how unwell I was and called my mum who came to stay with us. They took me back to see the doctor and together they helped me to get back on my meds. With the meds back in my system I started to get well again.

Once I became pregnant for the second time I stopped taking my meds again for a while. However, during the second trimester I found APP’s peer support service, which really helped. I met with Natalie, attended café groups and never stopped going. It was during the third trimester that I started to feel unwell and I wanted to nip it in the bud. That’s when my CPN persuaded me to get back on my meds. My baby was poorly again with meconium and this time he really struggled and was in the children’s hospital for two weeks. It was so traumatic, we very nearly lost him. I was convinced I was going to relapse but I kept taking my meds and everything was more or less fine. I did, however, experience quite a bit of depression and anxiety that time.

Following a miscarriage, my third baby was born in 2024 with a planned caesarean because I didn’t want to risk any problems with meconium again. This time, I also remained well throughout.

Today, I want to give back and share my story to help others feel less alone and raise awareness. I’ve learnt my lesson about the need for me to take my medication consistently, and I’ve found peer support really helpful, so I want to be able to provide the same kind of support for others.

I now feel I can put my trust in the health professionals, the decisions they make and advice they give as it’s had such a positive impact on my life. I’ve been well now since 2021, and I love working as part of the APP peer support team.

22 May 2026

APP's Rachel Lucas to run 84-miles between NHS units in Leeds and Chorley for maternal mental health

APP peer supporter, Rachel Lucas, is running the distance between two NHS inpatient units that helped her recover from the same serious mental illness after the birth of her children.

Rachel (33), who lives in Clitheroe in Lancashire, will be running around 80 miles between The Mount Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) in Leeds, and the Ribblemere MBU in Chorley. She will start at 9am in Leeds on Saturday 6 June, and finish in Chorley around lunchtime on Sunday 7 June.

Both units treated Rachel for postpartum psychosis - a rare and severe mental illness that develops suddenly and usually within the first two weeks after childbirth. Rachel has since gone on to make a full recovery and is now the proud mum of two healthy children.

She has also become a peer support worker for APP for whom she’s raising money to help other parents who struggle with this illness.

Rachel has already completed the London Marathon this year – smashing her original fundraising target of £5,000. With her sights now set on a higher target, she’s appealing for support to get her and her partner James over the finish line and over her new target.

“After the birth of our daughter Evelyn in 2019, I developed postpartum psychosis,” said Rachel. “It was a severe and traumatic mental illness that came out of nowhere. I experienced delusions, confusion and terrifying hallucinations. I was living in Leeds at the time and ended up being admitted to the Mother and Baby Unit there.

“It felt like everything had been ripped away from us at what should have been the happiest time of our lives. I genuinely believed I would never feel like myself again. I spent six weeks in the Leeds MBU at The Mount and I’m so grateful to them for helping me recover.”

Rachel, James and their healthy baby girl then moved to Clitheroe where she became pregnant with their second child in 2021. They worked closely with specialist perinatal mental health services and her midwife to create a care plan. In the plan they discussed medication choices, birth preferences and how treatment would look if Rachel experienced postpartum psychosis symptoms again.

Despite receiving excellent support from her local NHS teams, she began to experience early signs of postpartum psychosis again. The symptoms displayed themselves again as severe anxiety, insomnia and obsessive thoughts about her baby’s safety. This time the signs were recognised quickly, and Rachel was admitted to the Ribblemere MBU for treatment.

“James spotted the signs first and was able to raise the alarm quickly. Having prior knowledge, early intervention and support made a significant difference to my recovery the second time. Although it was still scary, I was able to speak up for myself and I remained closely involved in my baby’s care throughout my eight-week stay.”

Since being discharged with son Jude, Rachel has experienced depression and anxiety but has continued to recover with the right support. This has inspired her to campaign for APP - raising awareness of postpartum psychosis and maternal mental health.

“I want both mums and partners out there to know that you can get through it with the right support. If you know what to look out for, you can get the help you need quicker. That’s where support from dads and partners can be critical too. I would not be here today with my children if it wasn’t for the support we both got.

“After having my kids, telling my story for this cause is the most meaningful thing I’ve ever done. With help you can go the distance – which is why I’m running the distance I’m running.”

Help Rachel hit her fundraising target via her Just Giving page.

Follow the run on Instagram – keep up with Rachel and James as they run between Leeds and Chorley on Instagram – follow Rachel @Rachel_lucas93 or visit https://www.instagram.com/rachel_lucas93/.

Find out more about the Yorkshire and Humber Mother and Baby Unit at The Mount in Leeds.

Find out more about the Ribblemere Mother and Baby Unit in Chorley.

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.

19 May 2026

Miles for Mums & Babies 2026

A huge thank you to everyone taking part in APP's Miles for Mums and Babies challenge this year.  

Here are just a few of our incredible fundraisers who have stepped up to the challenge in 2026! Click on their names to read more about their stories and add your support to their fundraising pages.

Melissa: Walking 63 miles to represent the number of days she received treatment for in both the Morpeth and Leeds MBUs.
Melissa says: 'I attended an online session hosted by APP where I spoke to multiple other mums who had been through psychosis too. Hearing their stories made me feel less alone and normalised my experience in some way and for that I'm grateful as it's helped me process what has happened and move into a happy place.
I'm now in a position where I feel happy, I'm enjoying motherhood and feel it's time to give back so that other mothers/families who go through this can continue to receive support.'

Jade: Walking a total of 43 miles over the month of May - the distance from her home to the Mother and Baby Unit she was admitted to.
'When I experienced postpartum psychosis, I was in complete shock as I hadn't heard of the illness. I didn't know it was a possibility following childbirth, so not only was I coming to terms with what had happened, I was having to learn about the illness and understand what my mind had gone through.
I will use the time I spend walking to reflect and to notice how far I have come and want to inspire other mothers who are experiencing the same.'
Jade uses her platform on Instagram to raise awareness of PP - you can follow her here.

Kathryn: Walking 75 miles in May
Kathryn spent one month in Nottingham MBU receiving treatment, and says 'pretty much every day between my husband, parents, brother, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and my friends, they drove the 75 mile journey to visit my son and I at the Mother and Baby Unit.
I had no knowledge or understanding as to what postpartum psychosis was before I experienced it myself. That is why I decided to join in with the APP challenge - Miles For Mums and Babies for Maternal Mental Health Awareness. I have decided to walk 75 miles throughout May to reflect the journey that was made to see and support us at the Mother and Baby Unit.'
Kathryn is also sharing her journey to raise awareness on Instagram.

Jodie: 37 miles in a week
Jodie is a mental health nurse and she chose to cover 37 miles because it 'represents the 37 women that were admitted to the Mother and Baby Unit in 2025 that I work within'. Jodie smashed her miles target, completing it on World Maternal Mental Health Day and said several people stopped her during her walks to ask about her t-shirt - brilliant awareness raising too!

Heather: Family 2k/10k run in Chorley
Heather got her whole family involved with Miles for Mums and Babies.  Her husband took on the 10k run while she and her daughter completed the 2k family fun run.
Heather says: 'I suffered with postpartum psychosis when my son was just 12 weeks old. It's something myself & my family had never even heard of and affects around 1 or 2 in 1,000 births in the UK. I was very lucky it was caught early and after spending 6 weeks in the Mother & Baby Unit and lots of after care in the 12 months that followed, I have almost made a full recovery. Action on Postpartum Psychosis has played a huge part in this, but some mums aren't so lucky and if not treated early this illness can become life threatening for mum and baby.  I'll be running with Isla because she's been by my side through all of this and is the strongest little girl I will know! Her resilience is phenomenal 🩷'

Olivia: Walking 68 miles in the month of May.
Olivia says: 'I am setting myself the challenge of walking 68 miles in the month of May because this represents the distance between my house and the nearest Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) in Morpeth. My family had to drive this distance anytime that they wanted to see me and my daughter whilst I was at Beadnell for four months.  My husband had to move across to Northumberland so he could visit me daily with the expense of booking local houses often for weeks or months at a time. Many families do not have the same support system so this can drastically affect recovery times and the bond between mother and child.'

Kayleigh: Completed the Sunderland Family Fun run with her husband, daughters and nephews!
Kayleigh has taken part in our Miles for Mums and Babies challenge for several years now, but this year she got the whole family on board too!
'I was a patient at St George's Mother and Baby Unit in Morpeth for 6 weeks which massively helped with my recovery as I was not separated from my baby. Some mothers aren't so lucky and if there wasn't a space available in a Mother and Baby Unit they would be placed in a General Psychiatric Ward and there are many parts of the country without. I'd love to raise money for Action on Postpartum Psychosis who campaign for Mother and Baby Units, so that women affected by postpartum psychosis can receive the treatment they need.'

Oxfordshire Perinatal Mental Health Team: 1,830 miles in May as a team!
They say: 'For a family in Oxfordshire , the average round trip to our 'local' MBU is 114 miles.
With around 16 women or birthing people within Oxfordshire requiring additional support like this in the perinatal period (based on national stats), this is 16 potential journeys:
- during a vulnerable and uncertain time
- to a scary and unknown place
- away from families and support networks
To help raise awareness, and money, towards support and resources for those impacted by Perinatal Mental Health struggles, some of those involved in Oxfordshire Maternal Mental Health are coming together to complete 1830 miles through walking/ running/ cycling/ swimming.  That is the equivalent of 16 journeys back and forth to our local MBU!'

The Rainbow MBU, Essex: Walking a minimum 132,000 steps as a team during the month of May.
This represents the total number of miles it takes to get to our neighbouring Mother and Baby Units - 132 miles. They are incorporating walking groups in the ward timetable and some of the staff team are also walking to and from work.

The Beeches MBU, Derbyshire: 452 miles in May.
The Beeches team are no strangers to our Miles for Mums and Babies challenge, having also taken part in it in 2024.
This year the team have decided to 'aim to walk, run swim or bike (however people want to get their miles in!) 452 miles throughout the month - the distance from the UK's northernmost MBU (in Edinburgh) to the most southerly (in Dorset).
At the Beeches we look after mums and babies and families from all over the country. Many mums and babies travel hundreds of miles to be together whilst mum is treated in hospital for a severe maternal mental illness. Dads, partners, families and friends may have to travel hundreds of miles back and forth to visit mum and baby.'

Lucinda: Walking or running every day in May.
Lucinda says: 'As someone who has experienced postpartum psychosis, I have first hand experience of just how devastating this illness can be and how needed this charity is.' 

Ashlea: Walking 64 miles in the month of May - the distance from her house to the inpatient ward, then Mother and Baby Unit where she was treated.
Ashlea says: 'After my baby was born I became severely unwell incredibly quickly and was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis. It’s a very long story but I’ve made a full recovery and want to raise awareness for this illness and money for this great charity.'

Kelly: Walking 85 miles in May - the distance from her home in Gloucester to the MBU in Winchester where she was treated after the birth of her baby.

Chelsea: walked 51 miles during Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week to help raise awareness that all women should be able to access the mental health services they need when they need them.

Abigail: Walking/jogging 100 miles in May after her sister in law suffered with postpartum psychosis last year.
Abigail says: 'I’d like to raise awareness for new mums as well as families. This time last year, our family had never heard of it and now it’s an important time to be proud of our beautiful mum and baby in our family and help others.'

Thank you to every single one of our Miles for Mums and Babies challengers this year, and to everyone who has supported them. You are all amazing - raising funds and awareness that will help APP to be there for even more women and families in future.

It's not too late to get involved if you fancy joining in - you can take on a Miles for Mums and Babies challenge any time of year! Find out more and request a free pack here.

5 May 2026

APP supports new play about PP starring Kimberley Nixon

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

Members of the Action on Postpartum Psychosis team were given the opportunity to review the script, co-written by Kimberley and writer/directors Tim Clague and Danny Stack, and 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. 

Stories of postpartum psychosis in literature, TV, film and theatre are incredibly important, reaching thousands and sometimes millions of people. APP works with scriptwriters, novelists, playwrights, filmmakers and others to ensure portrayals of postpartum psychosis, whether factual or fictional, are informed by lived experience and expert knowledge.

Dates:
Pontypridd, YMa: 30 May, 6pm
Droitwich, Norbury Theatre (Rik Mayall Fest): 31 May, 1pm
Poole, Lighthouse: 2 July, 8pm
Manchester, Fringe: 6–9 July
London, Camden Festival, Bridewell Theatre: 10–12 August
Edinburgh Fringe: 21–30 August
Find out more and book tickets here: www.nelsonnutmegpictures.com/babybrainplay

A note for our lived experience community: Some people may find the content challenging, depending on where you are in your postpartum psychosis journey. Please take care when deciding whether and when to engage with it. If you’d like to find out more about the themes or access support, please get in touch with us.

 

4 May 2026

Dr Clare Dolman announced as Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) charity ambassador

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

Clare recently retired from APP’s trustee board after 15 years service with the charity. She is an Honorary Fellow of Edinburgh University where she is collaborating on projects about bipolar disorder and menopause and the long-term health effects of postpartum psychosis. Affiliated to King’s Women’s Mental Health, based at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London, where she completed her PhD, Clare is also currently involved in research projects at Cardiff University and internationally with colleagues in the US, Denmark, Sweden and Australia. All her work is informed by her own personal experience of living with bipolar and having a postpartum psychosis after the birth of her first child.

For many of the projects she is involved with, Clare has acted as Patient and Public Involvement Lead and in 2024 she was awarded the Patient and Public Involvement Award by the International Society for Affective Disorders. She is Co-Chair of the Bipolar Commission and an Ambassador for Bipolar UK, a Trustee of the Global Alliance for Maternal Mental Health, and a Trustee of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.

Clare joins poet, author and illustrator, Laura Dockrill; Maccabees member and record producer, Hugo White; and author and publisher Catherine Cho, supporting APP to increase national and international awareness of the illness.

Postpartum psychosis (PP) is a severe and debilitating postnatal mental illness triggered by childbirth, affecting 1200 women in the UK and up to 280,000 women in the world each year. Symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, mania, depression, restlessness, anxiety, confusion, and unusual behaviour, beginning rapidly after childbirth. While half of cases occur ‘out of the blue’ to women with no history of mental illness, women with a previous bipolar diagnosis have a particularly high risk of developing the illness.

Clare is a passionate advocate for improved care and understanding of severe psychiatric illness at times of great hormonal change for women, including menstruation, childbirth and the perimenopause. She has long campaigned for greater awareness of the link between bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis, parity of esteem for mental and physical illness, and better official recognition of postpartum psychosis in official diagnostic systems, like DSM and ICD.

Dr Clare 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.”

APP is a collaboration between families with lived experience, world-leading academic researchers and specialist health professionals. APP runs an award-winning UK-wide peer support network, including a peer support forum with over 4,000 users; develops patient information; trains professionals; campaigns for better services; works in partnership with the NHS to provide direct support to women in Mother and Baby Units; conducts awareness raising media work, and facilitates research into the illness.

2 May 2026

Campaign news: Northern Ireland Mother and Baby Unit confirmed

It’s been announced that a Northern Ireland mental health Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) will open within 3 years, saving women’s lives and preventing life-long trauma caused by separating mums and babies.

‘We are over the moon that Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has announced the MBU at Belfast City Hospital will be built and open by 2028/29,’ Liz Morrison, Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP)’s Northern Ireland advisor said.

‘APP has been campaigning for a Northern Ireland MBU since our inception in 2011, together with the mums and families affected by postpartum psychosis who we support. We’ve waited far too long.

‘By the time this unit opens, it will be 20 years since the Stormont Health Committee – then led by Michelle O’Neill – acknowledged the urgent need for an MBU here. In that time about 2,000 mums would have needed an MBU, including about 700 with postpartum psychosis.

‘These women will have been separated from their babies for non-specialist treatment, causing lifelong trauma. Suicide is the leading cause of maternal death in Northern Ireland, but we don’t know exactly how many mums who needed an MBU have died, because no one is counting.

‘Postpartum psychosis isn’t rare – it affects about 35 women in Northern Ireland every year. It’s a frightening, but very treatable, mental health condition that can escalate very rapidly following childbirth and NICE guidelines say a mum should be admitted to an MBU within 24 hours. With the right treatment and support, women fully recover.’

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK without an MBU, a specialist inpatient mental health treatment centre where mothers can be admitted with their babies for care and treatment. Instead, mums are admitted to acute psychiatric wards for non-specialist treatment, separating them from their babies.

APP estimates that around 100 women a year will require hospital admission for severe mental illness in the year after birth, including about 35 with postpartum psychosis, a severe but treatable form of mental illness. It begins suddenly in the days and weeks after having a baby. Symptoms include hallucinations and delusions, often with mania, depression or confusion. It can get worse very quickly and should always be treated as a medical emergency.

NI café group and support

Anyone affected by postpartum psychosis, now or even many years ago, can join APP’s lived-experience community, including an NI Peer Support Group for mothers who have experienced it at any time. We also have support for partners, grandparents and for bereaved families. Email app@app-network.org for more information.

27 April 2026

Apply now to join our 2027 TCS London Marathon Team

We're delighted to announce that building on the success of our fantastic 2026 TCS London Marathon team, we’re now inviting applications for our 12 places in the 2027 TCS London Marathon.

The TCS London Marathon is the world's most popular marathon, and the single biggest fundraising event on the planet.  Taking place next year on Sunday 25 April 2027, we're so excited APP is able to give you the chance to be part of it.

A world record-breaking 1,133,813 people applied for the 2026 TCS London Marathon public ballot, for just 50,000 available places. We get many requests to run for APP, so we know interest will be high for APP places.  Because of this, we're implementing an application process to ensure our limited places are allocated fairly, and that we have a team made up of people who are passionate about APP.

If you're interested, you can access the application form here. 

Applications for APP places are open until 1st June and we'll let you know by 15th June if you have been successful.

There is a £100 non refundable registration fee to pay to secure your place, then we're asking our London Marathon runners to raise a minimum of £2,000 each. As with all our events, our team will be here to support you with your training and fundraising.

All APP runners will receive an APP running top, a marathon training guide produced by fitness experts Make Bold Choices, fundraising inspiration and supplies, and of course the all important APP medal and finishers goody bag!  We'll also be there on the big day to cheer you on and celebrate with you at the finish line.

Whether you're a seasoned marathon runner, or you want a truly memorable experience for your first ever major event - if the London Marathon has always been on your wish list, now's your chance to give it a go.

Please consider entering the London Marathon main ballot too (open now), to increase your chances of securing a place for 2027 (you can enter the main ballot here). If you’re successful in getting a ballot place, we would be delighted if you chose to run as part of Team APP.

We have places secured in the London Marathon each year until 2029, so even if you aren’t successful this time, or if maybe you need a bit longer to prepare - there will be a chance to apply for an APP place again the following year.

Thank you for your interest in running London Marathon 2027 for APP.

Terms and conditions
Please make sure you read our terms and conditions before you apply.
You can find the terms and conditions for our APP London Marathon participants here. This also contains information about the selection process, and what support, info and goodies you can expect from APP.