APP expands peer support for women experiencing postpartum psychosis in Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales
APP has been awarded a new NHS contract to provide peer support within the new Seren Lodge Mother and Baby Unit (MBU).
The new Seren Lodge MBU officially launched on 15th December. It is a first of its kind cross-border perinatal mental health facility designed to support women from Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales. The unit will work alongside the existing regional Community Perinatal Mental Health service who already care for thousands of women every year.
APP works with a number of MBUs around the country to provide peer support to women in hospital as well as in the community. The charity, recently acknowledged with a prestigious GSK Impact Award, also provides MBU support in Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Birmingham and Solihull as well as a huge network of in-person and virtual café groups across the UK including Northern Ireland.
Dr Jess Heron, CEO, Action on Postpartum Psychosis, said: “As an organisation founded on lived experience, we’re delighted to be able to reach and support more women and families around the UK via this new NHS partnership. Many women have told us that having someone to speak to who has experienced postpartum psychosis themselves and come through the other side brings hope and reduces fear, so we know this new service will be an invaluable addition to Seren Lodge.”
Dr Sally Wilson, National Training Coordinator, Action on Postpartum Psychosis, said: “APP has been working with partners and families with lived experience to campaign for more MBUs for many years now, so we’re really excited to see the much-needed Seren Lodge MBU take shape. We know through our own research that women being treated in MBUs rather than general psychiatric wards enjoy more positive outcomes, and being able to add value to this through the provision of peer support will be truly transformative.
Seren Lodge will provide a home from home for women and their babies and include a nursery, sensory room, and multiple lounges to support quiet time and family visits. Having access to outside spaces is central to the development with two garden areas and a walking pram loop, with families benefitting from close access to the Countess Country Park. Seren Lodge will also provide dedicated space and Welsh-language resources for women from North Wales who have previously struggled to access MBU beds.
Sarah Dearden, APP Storyteller said: "When I first became unwell with postpartum psychosis when my son was six days old I was admitted to a general psychiatric ward. There were no available MBU beds and being admitted to the wrong and very scary environment made the fear and confusion so much worse. That's why Seren Lodge is so wonderful and crucial. Mums and babies can stay together and stop the anguish of being separated."
Dr Heron added: “This new unit will ensure that new mothers with severe postnatal illness will be cared for appropriately and supported with parenting, without having to travel miles from their families or ending up in adult psychiatric wards and separated from their newborn. APP has been fortunate to work with the Seren Lodge team to ensure the voices of lived experience are heard throughout the development process, so we are confident that this new facility will be a much-needed addition to the UK’s perinatal mental health provision.”
Seren Lodge MBU is the result of a partnership between Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP), Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCHUB), Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, NHS England and NHS Wales. It has been supported and informed by CWP’s Helix experts by experience group.
Could you become an APP peer supporter?
If you have lived experience of postpartum psychosis and live within the Seren Lodge catchment area (Cheshire / Merseyside / North Wales) APP would love to hear from you. The charity is currently recruiting for a Peer Support Facilitator and a Peer Support Worker and will be holding a training day in Chester on 31st January 2026. Find out more here.