North Wales mothers’ experiences of out-of-area mother and baby units
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring North Wales mothers’ experiences of out-of-area mother and baby units
IRAS ID
331953
Contact name
Rhiannon Peters
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Bangor University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 30 days
Research summary
Perinatal mental health (PMH) problems can affect between 10-20% of women, with the perinatal period being defined as during pregnancy and up to a year after birth. The risk of developing a severe mental health condition where inpatient support may be required is around 1-2 in every 1000 mothers (Public Health England, 2019). The impact of PMH problems on mothers, their babies and wider families are significant. For severe PMH problems, guidance suggests that patients who are over 32 weeks pregnant and up to 12 months postpartum should not be admitted to general psychiatric wards unless there are exceptional circumstances (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2022). In these instances, women should have access to an inpatient mother and baby unit (MBU) where they can access specialist care. The primary function of an MBU is to enable mothers to remain with their baby whilst receiving care, to support parent-infant attachment and bonding, which is imperative (NHS England, 2018). However, there is currently no access to a local MBU for mothers from North Wales. The NSPCC (2018) deemed that neither adult psychiatric wards in Wales, MBUs in England, or support in the community provide women with severe PMH issues requiring inpatient admission with the care they require.
The aim of this research will be to explore the experiences of mothers from North Wales who have had to access an out-of-area MBU. The study will recruit mothers from the Betsi Cadwaladr UHB Perinatal Mental Health Service who have accessed an out-of-area MBU in the last 5 years. Between 6-8 participants will be invited to complete a demographics questionnaire and qualitative interview. Interviews will be conducted remotely or in a clinic setting depending on participant preference. Interviews will be analysed using thematic analysis. The project will be completed by July 2024.
REC name
Wales REC 3
REC reference
23/WA/0248
Date of REC Opinion
20 Sep 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion