2002 International International Biennial Scientific Meeting

THE COMMUNITY PRACTITIONERS' AND HEALTH VISITORS' ASSOCIATION (CPHVA) POSTNATAL DEPRESSION AND MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH NETWORK, A SUCCESSFUL MODEL FOR PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT

Cheryll Adams* and Briege Coyle**

* Professional Officer, Research and Practice Development, Postnatal Depression Project Lead, Community Practitioners' and Health Visitors' Association, London

** Professional Officer, Northern Ireland and CPHVA Postnatal Depression Specialist

adamsc.cphva@dial.pipex.com

The aim of the network is to provide a strategic focus for the promotion of positive mental health in women and the family unit, both nationally and locally.

The objectives are to:

• influence national and local policy development
• promote the development of a stronger research base for interventions supporting maternal mental health by health visitors and community nurses
• lobby for specialist maternal mental health education for health visitors
• develop professional and non-professional partnerships
• promote professional networking and sharing of good practice
• support structured practice development in specialist areas
• promote the development of service structures to ensure, equity of delivery of services supporting and promoting maternal mental health.

The network, launched in 2001, was inspired by the authors' attendance at the International Marcé Society meeting in Manchester in 2000. The presentation will describe the role of health visitors in promoting the mental health of the mother and her family in the UK. It will then discuss some of the very considerable progress made by the CPHVA network which has proved a catalyst for practice development, by health visitors as well as increasingly supporting other health professionals and voluntary bodies working in the field.

Network activities include a large number of educational events, most resulting in publications and fact sheets making the proceedings available to those unable to attend. It also produces a twice-yearly newsletter. A database of members and member's interests allows for structured networking in different areas of practice. An early piece of work looked at published work relating to postnatal depression and multicultural issues; an area deemed a priority by network members. It has also provided specialist advice for a number of national developments. Current activity includes development of a poster for display in family doctor surgeries and clinics encouraging depressed mothers to seek specialist help; also the development and dissemination of national clinical practice benchmarks for PND.