CORC delivers bespoke training to Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Services
In early 2019, CORC were commissioned by NHS England to develop and produce an implementation manual for using routine outcome measures in the Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Services (SPMHS). Twelve workshops were delivered across the country to SPMHS staff and commissioners in early summer 2019 to launch the manual and give an introduction to best practice when using these types of measures and tools. Since then, services have requested bespoke support and training to help them move forward with their own practice, gaining a deeper knowledge and understanding of the measures specific to their service.
CORC have enjoyed engaging with colleagues in Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) to work collaboratively with Commissioners in deciding which measurement tools are right for them to routinely monitoring the outcomes of their service users.
In other areas, CORC have been asked to deliver training which gives more in depth, practical information about using and interpreting specific measures; these have included CORE-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), CORE-10, Goal Based Outcomes (GBO), Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS) and the POEM. It has been really interesting to find out more about how these measures, developed and used across main stream mental health, can be used with the perinatal population and what special considerations should be given to how they are introduced and interpreted. Services have found it useful to dedicate time to understanding the research base of each measure, think through what the results mean in their individual one to one work and how it demonstrates the impact they are having as teams and a service. For example, the CORE-OM and the CORE-10 have proved to be a popular choice as these focus on more general issues the service user may be facing in the perinatal period as opposed to symptoms or difficulties related to specific disorders. Whilst an area of development, there has also been positive reaction to GBOs and these seem to fit well with the ethos and approach of the community based teams.
Due to the nature of the work done during this period, services could be supporting the service users for up to 24 months post birth (so a potential maximum of 33 months if referred at conception) and therefore the timescales for administering these measures and the changes that will be seen at each timepoint of administration (for example measures collected pre-birth compared to those collected post-birth) will present an extremely diverse and interesting picture of the service user journey. CORC are excited to do more work in this area of mental health and welcomes contact from SPMHS who would like to explore further support or bespoke training. For more information please contact CORC at corc@annafreud.org.