You can find APP’s general resources about symptoms of postpartum psychosis here and getting help here. You can find more information on common early symptoms here. You can find APP information guides about PP for women and partners here. If you are a partner, you can also join our Partner’s Facebook group for information, signposting and support from other partners who have ‘been there’.

1. If I develop symptoms of PP, how will assessment happen?

• If you believe you are developing symptoms of postpartum psychosis (or your partner, family members is) you need to act urgently via the normal routes: telephone your GP, maternity services, or 111. If you believe you or someone in your household is in imminent danger, call 999. Services are still here for you. Urgent home visits are still being completed, but may also include phone & video call contact.
• Every acute mental health trust in England has a 24/7 crisis line number who can direct you to appropriate services. You can find your local one here – input your postcode in the helplines section.
• In Scotland, A&E mental health presentations are being diverted directly to mental health sites. Crisis/Out of Hours staff will work in assessment centres with extra resources, seeing people from A&E and other urgent referrals.

2. Are Mother & Baby Units staying open?

• In England and Scotland MBUs will remain open and are doing an enormous amount of work to minimise any risk of infection on inpatient units. There are no units in Wales; women requiring MBU admission will be offered the opportunity of a bed in England. In Northern Ireland, postnatal women with PP are admitted to General Adult Psychiatric Units for care.

3. How are MBU’s managing coronavirus?

• MBUs are following general NHS inpatient guidance on barrier nursing and staff will be using personal protection equipment (PPE) for patients with coronavirus symptoms. MBUs have set up isolation areas to care for women separately. To date there have been very few cases of coronavirus in MBUs.
• Visitor advice varies between units. Some units have restricted visits to one named family member per patient, with specific time slots. Please contact the MBU for more specific advice. For a full list of MBUs in England click here  or here for all UK units.
• NHS England guidance on visiting during the coronavirus crisis can be found here, and, for Scotland, here.
• Patients will be supported to use FaceTime and telephone video calling more. Peer Support, including that delivered by APP, will be available via video call, and in some areas, peer supporters are still visiting the unit.

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