Maternal mental health team wins Parliamentary Award

The team behind the Lancashire and South Cumbria Reproductive Trauma Service have scooped a prestigious award, recognising new and effective services to help people living with mental health problems in their community.

The service was nominated for an NHS Parliamentary Award by Blackpool North and Cleveleys MP Paul Maynard, and on Wednesday 5 July were delighted to be awarded the Excellence in Mental Health Award.

The NHS Parliamentary Awards launched in 2018 to celebrate the NHS’ 70th birthday and recognise the outstanding contribution of staff, volunteers and others working in the health and care sector. Now in its sixth year, the awards have been an overwhelming success with more than 700 nominations being submitted by over half of MPs representing constituencies in England last year alone.

Reproductive Trauma Service manager Tracy Marsden said: “We are absolutely thrilled to win this award. We have worked tremendously hard to ensure the needs of every single person coming through our service have been met, their stories heard and acknowledged while they receive the most appropriate package of care from our dedicated team.”

The Reproductive Trauma Service was set up in March 2022 by Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), which organises health and care services across the region, and is operated by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It is available to people across the region and is one of the first services of its type in the country, offering a variety of support and therapies to those who have experienced birth trauma, fear of childbirth, or perinatal loss.

Tracy added: “We believe we make an outstanding contribution to perinatal mental health across Lancashire and South Cumbria due to the integrated and innovative approach to working across maternity and mental health.

“So, on behalf of myself and the team I would like to say a huge thank you to Paul Maynard MP for nominating us and to the NHS Parliamentary Awards for recognising the contributions we are making on a daily basis to support women’s mental health through pregnancy.”

Sarah O’Brien, chief nurse for the ICB, congratulated the team on their award win. She said: “I would like to say ‘well done’ to everyone involved in the Reproductive Trauma Service – this award is great recognition for all the hard work they’ve put in over the past year to establish this as a valuable service for people across Lancashire and South Cumbria.”

Support can be accessed by speaking with a health visitor, midwife, or GP. In its first 12 months, the service has had 520 referrals – over 100 more than it had originally targeted.