Category Archives: News

Gift Aid Awareness Day #TickTheBox

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pink gift aid awareness day logo

6th October is Gift Aid Awareness Day

What is Gift Aid?
Gift Aid is a tax relief for charities in the UK to increase donations – at no extra cost to the donor. When a
charity receives a donation from a UK taxpayer, the organisation is entitled to claim an extra 25% paid on
that donation.

A £10 donation processed with Gift Aid becomes a £12.50 donation.

What do donors need to do?
Donors need to #tickthebox on our Gift Aid declaration form and provide some basic personal details, return it to us and then we can claim 25p for every £1 given.
Once a donor has given their permission by filling in the Gift Aid declaration form, there is no need for them to do anything else.

Who qualifies to donate through Gift Aid?
For charities to claim Gift Aid on a donation, the donor must have paid UK income tax or capital gains tax that tax year, at least equal to the tax that the organisation will reclaim on the individual’s donations.
Even if the donor is not currently employed they are eligible to make Gift Aid payments so long as, at some point in the tax year in which they make the donation, they pay enough tax on any of the following:
• Personal or occupational pension
• Stocks or shares
• Bank or building society savings accounts
• Rental income
• Overseas or UK investment dividends

Higher rate tax payers
Higher rate tax payers are entitled to claim the difference between the top rate of tax they pay, and the basic rate on the total value of the donation. Individuals can claim the additional tax relief through their self-assessment tax return or by asking HMRC to amend their tax code.

Example for higher rate tax payer
You donate £100 to charity – they claim Gift Aid to make your donation £125. You pay 40% tax so you can personally claim back £25.00 (£125 x 20%).

For more on Gift Aid visit cfg.org.uk/tickthebox

If you'd like any more info, email fundraising@app-network.org

APP's Royal Parks Half Runners

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We have three amazing runners taking part in the Royal Parks Half marathon in London on Sunday 9th October.  This unique challenge takes in some of the capital's world-famous landmarks on closed roads, and four of London's eight Royal Parks - Hyde Park, The Green Park, St James's Park and Kensington Gardens.

All our Royal Parks runners have first hand experience of a PP diagnosis and the impact this can have.

Sarah Tindley chose to run for APP as she hSarah and her daughter holding a cakead PP when she had her daughter at age 37.
She says: 'I am now 57 and celebrating 20 years of good mental health aided by regular running and other things. The internet was in its infancy 20 years ago, so I didn't meet anyone else with experience of PP until I discovered APP.

'APP give great support to women with a history of PP and they are raising awareness. I want to raise some funds to help them continue this great work.'

To support Sarah, visit her fundraising page here: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sarah-tindley2

 

Steve wearing his APP purple T-shirt with his two children smiling behind himSteve Bushell is an experienced APP fundraiser, having already completed a marathon for us last year!

Steve is passionate about raising funds for, and awareness of APP after his wife was diagnosed with PP nine years ago after the birth of their first child. He says: 'APP has been a reliable touchstone for information and community in the years since. They are a small charity so every donation, no matter the size, makes a difference and helps them carry on their good work.'

Find out more and offer your support to Steve here: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/steve-bushell2

Jamie holding his baby by a lakeJamie Stock is running to raise funds for APP after his wife was diagnosed with PP earlier this year.

Sharing their story as part of his fundraising campaign has been a positive way of raising awareness of postpartum psychosis.

He says: 'As well as our amazing families and friends, we have been fortunate to have the support of the APP community and the NHS staff over the last eight months. Their work makes such a difference to those unfortunate enough to experience postpartum psychosis.'

You can support Jamie's fundraising efforts here: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/app-stock

A massive thank you to all our runners and to everyone who has supported them. We're so grateful and the funds raised will make a real difference to so many families affected by postpartum psychosis.

Highlights: International Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health Conference

News

Members of the Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) team, including staff, trustees and ambassadors, spoke to a global audience of expert researchers, clinicians and women and families with lived experience as part of the International Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health Conference. 

Here are some of the highlights from the social media conversation taking place during the conference #Marce22.

Hannah Bissett (APP National NHS Contracts Coordinator), Dr Clare Dolman (APP trustee, Co-chair of the Bipolar Commission and Ambassador Bipolar UK, Trustee Maternal Mental Health Alliance), Laura Dockrill (APP Ambassador), Dr Sally Wilson (APP National Training and Research Coordinator) and Dr Jess Heron (APP CEO) at the International Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health Conference, 2022.

The conference took place between Monday 19th and Friday 23rd September and welcomed leading experts in perinatal mental health from institutions and organisations around the world. The Society is led by a board of experts including APP’s very own trustee, Professor Ian Jones, who also served as the conference’s co-chair.

One of the key aims of this year’s conference was to highlight the UK’s best practice in lived experience involvement, and encourage this trend internationally. The conference events took place both in London and virtually.

Having the opportunity to speak at such an event enabled us to share best practice and stimulate conversation specifically around postpartum psychosis (PP), raising awareness of the illness, as well as our campaign asks, amongst a much wider pool of academics and health professionals. The more researchers and professionals talking about postpartum psychosis, the more collective power we have to build knowledge, effect change, challenge stigma and improve services for women and families affected.

Dr Jess Heron, CEO of APP, said “We are delighted to be attending conferences face to face again, to continue raising the profile of postpartum psychosis in the perinatal research community. We shared our research showing: that care for PP has improved considerably in 10 years; that women admitted to MBUs have better outcomes than those separated from their baby in General Psychiatric Units; that peer support is essential and life-saving during recovery; and the impact of our co-produced and co-delivered health professional training on clinical practice, empathy and knowledge. The week long academic conference is a valuable opportunity for us to hear from world leading experts about their cutting edge work. The voices and values of the Third Sector and lived experience play an important role in academic conferences, helping translate the evidence base into practice, reducing stigma, and influencing research of importance to women and families."

Hannah Bissett, APP National NHS Contracts Coordinator, said: "As a lived experience speaker, I attended Marcé to talk about what women and families need from perinatal services. Hearing the expert speakers that day in other talks, including describing experiences of PP in India and Malawi was very moving and inspiring. Whilst I do not have a research background or clinical training, Marcé welcoming lived experience speakers was an important step in sharing our voices. The virtual conference also had a wealth of streamed content and representing our peer support team sharing an evaluation of our projects in the APP symposium was a huge privilege - I'm not sure if an in-person session or virtual talk is most nerve-wracking! I hope to attend Marcé again in the future and reconnect with some of the wonderful people we met from the ‘perinatal family’."

The two sessions APP was involved with or leading were:

What do women and families need from perinatal mental health services?

This session was chaired by Dr Clare Dolman (APP trustee) and featured our brilliant ambassador Laura Dockrill, who powerfully and beautifully shared her personal experience of PP, as well as our National NHS Contracts Coordinator, Hannah Bissett, speaking about the value of peer support in perinatal services. They were joined by Dr Henry Fay on video– a former GP with experience of PP as a partner, and trustee of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.

Laura Dockrill (APP Ambassador), Hannah Bissett (APP National NHS Contracts Coordinator) and Dr Clare Dolman (APP trustee, Co-chair of the Bipolar Commission and Ambassador Bipolar UK, Trustee Maternal Mental Health Alliance).

Postpartum psychosis: strategies and collaborations to increase knowledge, address stigma and improve care globally

This session was chaired by our CEO Dr Jess Heron and featured discussion from Hannah Bissett as well as Dr Sally Wilson, APP’s National Training and Research Coordinator. The APP team presented evaluations of some of APP’s projects including: APP’s health professional training in PP; peer support services; the ongoing campaign for Mother & Baby Units; and outlined the way care for PP has changed over the past 10 years. The discussion focused on the impact evaluation of each project, exploring the ingredients for lasting impact, lessons learned, and how this learning might be used to influence care for women and families affected by PP globally.

About the International Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health

The International Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health was formed at an international conference in 1980. The purpose of that conference was to bring together different strands of research in puerperal mental disorders. It was recognised that there needed to be a forum to discuss puerperal mental illness in its broadest sense, and as such the Society was formed. The Society was named after Louis Victor Marcé, a French psychiatrist who wrote the first treatise entirely devoted to puerperal mental illness, published in 1858.

Other notable sessions at this year’s conference included Postpartum Psychosis: Cross-cultural conceptualisation in Malawi, India and the UK; Advances in the Pharmacology of Mood Disorders during Pregnancy; Offspring of parents with Psychosis: Pre-postnatal indicators of risk and resilience; Consensus and Controversies in the classification of Postpartum Psychosis in DSM-V; Prophylactic medication in pregnant women with bipolar disorder; as well as a session focused on fathers’ mental health: Fathers’ Perinatal Experiences, Mental Health and Impact on Family Health.

Kathryn Grant (APP Volunteer) sharing her lived experience for the session ‘Prophylactic medication in pregnant women with bipolar disorder’

Find out more about the conference here

To join the APP network and sign up to our newsletter click here

 

Good luck to the APP London Marathon 2022 Team

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APP are very lucky this year to have three runners taking on the challenge of the TCS London Marathon on Sunday 2nd October.

All of them have been training (and fundraising!) hard for months and are looking forward to the big day!

Debbie wearing a purple APP vest in front of a field of cornDebbie Sells is the Ward Manager at the Margaret Oates MBU in Nottingham, so APP is a cause close to her heart. She says 'I am in the privileged position to nurse women at a very frightening and horrendous time in their life, but to see them recover and enjoy family life with their children.'

Read more about Debbie and add your support here: https://tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/deborah-sells

 

Vanessa wearing a cap and her APP purple running vestVanessa Gutteridge is running for APP as she was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis after the birth of her son eight years ago. She is keen to raise awareness of the illness, as well as vital funds.  She says: 'It took me years to recover and I still often think about the milestones of Archie that I missed, mostly in his first year or so and it hits me how poorly I was but im so grateful for the support I had when he was born and the years after.'

Find out more about Vanessa's story and support her here: https://tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/vanessa-guttridge

Sara and her husband with their babySara Fernandes will be taking on a slightly different challenge - she's still completing the full 26.2 miles on the 2nd October, but instead of doing it on the streets of London, she'll be taking part in the virtual version around her home town of Anglesey.

Sara was hospitalised with PP when her baby was just 5 days old. She says 'Organisations such as APP (Action on Postpartum Psychosis) are like gold-dust. With it being such a rare illness with a quick onset, there's very little support out there.... Most people have no warning of what the illness looks like, what to do when symptoms present themselves or where to go for help. That's why APP are amazing! They have a range of services that support both the individuals suffering and their families. They help women feel understood, signpost, listen, advise, empower and ultimately save lives!' 

You can read more about Sara's journey and offer your support here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sara-fernandes86

It's a massive commitment to train and complete a full marathon so a huge thank you to all our amazing runners, and to everyone who has supported them so far - every donation makes a difference, and we're sure knowing they have raised so much will keep our runners going all the way to the finish line!

APP to speak at international perinatal mental health conference 

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Members of the Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) team, including staff, trustees and ambassadors, will be speaking to a global audience of expert researchers later this month as part of the International Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health Conference. 

The conference takes place between Monday 19th and Friday 23rd September and will welcome leading experts in perinatal mental health from institutions and organisations around the world. The Society is led by a board of experts including APP’s very own trustee, Professor Ian Jones, who also serves as the conference’s co-chair.

Having the opportunity to speak at such an event will enable us to share best practice and stimulate conversation specifically around postpartum psychosis (PP), raising awareness of the illness, as well as our campaign asks, amongst a much wider pool of academics and health professionals. The more researchers and professionals we get talking about postpartum psychosis, the more collective power we have to build knowledge, effect change, challenge stigma and improve services for women and families affected.

The two sessions APP will be involved with or leading are:

What do women and families need from perinatal mental health services? 

This session will be chaired by Dr Clare Dolman (APP trustee and Vice Chair for the Maternal Mental Health Alliance) and feature our brilliant ambassador Laura Dockrill, who will be sharing her personal experience of PP, as well as our National NHS Contracts Coordinator, Hannah Bissett, who will be speaking about the value of peer support in perinatal services. They will be joined by Dr Henry Fay – a former GP with experience of PP as a partner, and current trustee with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.

APP ambassador Laura Dockrill will be sharing her lived experience story

Postpartum psychosis: strategies and collaborations to increase knowledge, address stigma and improve care globally

This session will be chaired by our CEO Dr Jess Heron and will feature discussion from Hannah Bissett as well as Dr Sally Wilson, APP’s National Training and Research Coordinator. The APP team will present evaluations of some of APP’s projects including: APP’s health professional training in PP; peer support services; and the ongoing campaign for Mother & Baby Units. The discussion will focus on exploring the ingredients for lasting impact, lessons learned, and how this learning might be used to influence care for women and families affected by PP globally.

APP’s CEO Dr Jess Heron will be chairing a session

About the International Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health

The International Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health was formed at an international conference in 1980. The purpose of that conference was to bring together different strands of research in puerperal mental disorders. It was recognised that there needed to be a forum to discuss puerperal mental illness in its broadest sense, and as such the Society was formed. The Society was named after Louis Victor Marcé, a French psychiatrist who wrote the first treatise entirely devoted to puerperal mental illness, published in 1858.

Other notable sessions at this year’s conference include Postpartum Psychosis: Cross-cultural conceptualisation in Malawi, India and the UK; Advances in the Pharmacology of Mood Disorders during Pregnancy; Offspring of parents with Psychosis: Pre-postnatal indicators of risk and resilience; Consensus and Controversies in the classification of Postpartum Psychosis in DSM-V; as well as a session focused on fathers’ mental health: Fathers’ Perinatal Experiences, Mental Health and Impact on Family Health.

One of the key aims of this year’s conference is to highlight the UK’s best practice in lived experience involvement, and encourage this trend internationally. The conference events will take place both in London and virtually.

Find out more about the conference here

The conference itself is no longer taking delegate bookings, however, we’ll be sharing some of the key highlights and things we’ve learned, so watch this space for more info.

To join the APP network and sign up to our newsletter click here

If you’re attending the conference, please do join in the discussion on social media by using the hashtag #Marce22 and tagging us @ActiononPP

 

Katie takes the plunge for APP

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compilation of pictures of Katie jumping out of a plane!The very brave Katie Mead recently took part in a skydive in aid of APP - jumping 12000ft from a plane over Swansea, and raising more than £600 in the process!

She says "I loved every second of it! It was absolutely amazing and everyone must do it once in a lifetime! I’m doing it again next year for the same cause, because it's so close to my heart." Thank you Katie.

If you fancy taking the plunge for APP, there are skydive centres all over the UK. We'd love to hear from you. Email: fundraising@app-network.org

Laura and Helen complete their challenge!

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two women wearing purple APP running vests and glitter on their faces, in a crowd of runners at the start of the GNR
 

Sisters Laura and Helen have taken part in various events this year to raise funds for APP culminating in the Great North Run, which took place on Sunday 11th September.

Following the sad news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, there was some last minute uncertainty about whether the run would go ahead, but organisers decided an event that brought people together and raises millions for charity would be a fitting tribute to the late Queen.

Laura and Helen wearing their GNR finisher and APP medalsLaura and Helen were really pleased that the run went ahead, and both completed it in brilliant times. Not only that, between them, they raised nearly £2,000 for APP - an amazing achievement - and definitely deserved their medals!

A huge thank you to both of you from all at APP.

 

Trichana runs for APP

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Trichana wearing her APP tshirtTrichana Rai from Colchester has chosen to take on a mammoth challenge for APP - aiming to run 300km in six months.

Trichana had postpartum psychosis after the birth of her son in 2014. Like many affected, before being diagnosed herself, she had never heard of PP.  She was hospitalised in an MBU for one and half months.

She says of that time: "I was so poorly. I couldn't take care of my son and myself. I was very weak mentally and physically. I used to be tearful without any reason, I couldn't sleep and my appetite had gone down gradually. I even thought sometimes there is no reason to live."trichana running through a wooded area

Trichana is now fully recovered.

She says "Those moments were very difficult and challenging for me and my family, but I have learned and experienced there is always bright light after a thunderstorm."

She is running to help other mums affected by PP. Thank you so much Trichana.

If you'd like to follow Trichana's journey, or offer your support, she regularly updates her justgiving page here: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Trichana-Rai

The Big Bake

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A HUGE thank you to the teams at the Morpeth Mother and Baby Unit, Exeter Mother and Baby Unit and the Pennine Specialist Perinatal Community Mental Health Team who held our first #APPTheBigBake events this week!

All the teams raised vital funds for Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) and awareness of postpartum psychosis while having a great time and enjoying some delicious bakes!

At Beadnell Ward, Morpeth Mother and Baby Unit, APP's Morpeth peer support team have been baking with the mums. Our sessional peer supporter Kerry has enjoyed making lovely cakes (the pink cupcakes pictured) and a sunny walk with the mums. Baking is always a popular activity and we hope you agree that the finished results look delicious too!

Do you fancy holding your own Big Bake event? Get in touch and we'll send you your free The Big Bake pack.

Find out more: www.bit.ly/APPTheBigBake

New Women’s Health Strategy for England - Government pledges to improve services for perinatal mental health and menopause.

News

APP has contributed to a Government call for evidence to inform the first ever Women’s Health Strategy for England which was published on 20 July 2022. We asked the Government to ensure that the strategy improved the lives of women affected by postpartum psychosis through continued investment in specialist perinatal mental health services, prioritising research into PP and improving support for women with PP during the menopause. We welcome these pledges, however committed funding is needed and we will continue to campaign for the needs of women with PP to be addressed in implementing this strategy.

Perinatal mental health services

“The package includes £100 million for bespoke parent-infant relationship and perinatal mental health support. We are increasing provision of specialist community perinatal mental health services, which provide care and treatment for women with moderate to severe or complex mental health needs, and support the developing relationship between mother and baby. They also offer women with mental health needs advice for planning a pregnancy. The Long Term Plan commits to at least 66,000 women with moderate to severe or complex perinatal mental health needs having access to specialist community care”

Research

A recent study found that although affecting 20% of women, perinatal mental health receives only 4% of all research investment in pregnancy. The Women’s Health Strategy sets a 10-year ambition that “there is more research into women’s health issues – for example, gynaecological conditions, menstrual health, fertility, pregnancy, menopause and post-reproductive health – which leads to a greater understanding of conditions that impact women and how we can meet women’s health needs”.

Menopause

The Government has set a 10-year ambition that “women can access high-quality, personalised menopause care within primary care and, if needed, specialist care in a timely manner, and disparities in access to menopause treatment are reduced” and that “healthcare professionals in primary care are well informed about the menopause, and able to offer women evidence-based advice and treatment options, including HRT and alternatives”

APP welcomes The Women’s Health Strategy for England pledge to invest £100 million in community perinatal mental health services and parent-infant support. We continue to campaign for equal access to MBU beds across the UK.

Changes to the Mental Health Act - what do they mean for women with PP and their families?

APP took part in a Government consultation on changes to the Mental Health Act in January 2021. The Mental Health Act is the legal framework for detaining a person for mental health treatment (being “sectioned”). As PP can escalate quickly and women with PP may lack capacity to make decisions about their own treatment, many women are admitted to hospital under the Mental Health Act.

A draft Bill was published in July 2022 and we are pleased to see the following changes which are especially relevant to families affected by PP

  • There is a greater focus on patient choice and autonomy in making decisions about what treatment they would want if they should lose capacity.
  • Patients can draw up an ‘advanced decision’ which explains their treatment preferences, and appoints a ‘nominated person’ to advocate for these treatments if they are detained. This can be a partner, family member or friend. The advanced decision is valid if signed by the patient, nominated person and a health professional.
  • Any admission to hospital under the Mental Health Act should have a clear therapeutic benefit.
  • Patients needing to be detained can no longer be held in a police cell or prison when waiting for assessment.

APP highlighted that we believe a perinatal mental health professional should be consulted in decisions to detain a woman with PP. In our experience, other mental health professionals may not be aware of the level of risk in PP, and the way that symptoms can ‘come and go’ in the early stages of the illness. This means that a woman may be assessed as having capacity or low risk when this can quickly change - causing delays to the urgent admission she needs.

APP also stressed that women with PP should always be admitted to a specialist Mother and Baby Unit as these provide specialist skills and a clear therapeutic benefit for the whole family unit. We believe that the separation of mothers and babies in general psychiatric wards goes against the principles of the new Mental Health Act.

We are very grateful to families with personal experience of bereavement due to PP who courageously shared their experience with us to include in our submission to the Government.

APP welcomes the new draft Mental Health Bill which protects the rights of women with PP who are sectioned to treatment with ‘clear therapeutic benefit’. APP has advised that all admissions under Mental Health Act for women with PP should be to a MBU.