Perinatal Mental Health Team (Newham)

We accept referrals from health and social care professionals, including GPs, community psychiatrists, obstetricians, midwives, health visitors and social workers.

We also accept self-referrals.

Referrals can be made using this referral form (click here to download) and sent either by fax or email.

The Newham Perinatal team can be emailed here: elft.newhamperinatalreferrals@nhs.net

Moderate to severe mental illness including severe depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), psychotic disorders and personality disorders.

We provide specialist outpatient and community care to women who are pregnant or in their first year after having a baby. We also provide one off pre-conception counselling to women who have a past history of severe mental illness and who are considering having a baby. Your first appointment with us will either be with one of our consultants or clinical nurse specialists. If we offer you further outpatient appointments these will usually be with Dr Musters or Dr Humphreys. 

In certain cases before you give birth we will hold a pre-birth planning meeting with yourself and the other professionals involved in your care to discuss how you will be supported during and after your labour. After pregnancy then depending on the level of need you may also have home visits with one of our nurses in addition to outpatient clinic appointments. 

We aim to see all new referrals within four weeks of receiving the referral. If the team decides a referral is urgent, we aim to see within two weeks. 

Initial appointment are 1 hour, follow-up appointments are 30 minutes. 

We understand that continuity of care is important and so whichever doctor sees you in clinic will remain your consultant and continue to see you while you remain under our team, unless you request otherwise.

The only exception to this will be if you require an urgent appointment and your usual doctor is away, in which case you may be seen by the other consultant in our team. 

Yes you can if you wish to.

However some of our consulting rooms have limited space and so we can often only have room for one person to accompany you.

We also sometimes have to ask questions of a sensitive nature and so may ask to see you by yourself for a brief period of time. 

Yes, if you or your referrer informs us in advance, we will book an interpreter.

If they are old enough to talk then we do not routinely encourage other children to be present, as we ask sensitive questions that they may find distressing.

However if you are not able to find an alternative option then we will generally try to accommodate them.

Please note we do not have any play facilities so you may wish to bring toys or books to keep them occupied.  

Yes you are very welcome to if you wish to do so.

If you need to breastfeed your child either before or after your appointment we do not have any dedicated breastfeeding rooms.

However, if you wish to have some privacy then ask a member of staff who will try to accommodate you if a spare room can be found.