Mental health statistics available in monthly operational statistics

In August, statistics on mental health were added to NHS England’s Monthly Operational Statistics, which are published online, for the very first time. Sitting alongside figures on urgent and emergency care and elective recovery and cancer, the mental health statistics gave an overview of the rise in prevalence of mental health conditions since the Covid-19 pandemic. Statistics on Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges were also included as well as CYP provision more generally and positive referral and experience figures for people seen by NHS Talking Therapies services.

NHS England » Monthly operational statistics – August 2023

E learning programme on links between breastfeeding and perinatal mental health available

A new eLearning programme that helps the early years workforce better understand the links between breastfeeding and perinatal mental health is now available on the NHS Learning Hub.
Developed by NHS England eLearning for healthcare, the Anna Freud Centre and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, the programme explains how breastfeeding and perinatal mental health are intertwined, and what factors can influence this relationship.
It also provides tools and guidance to support staff to deliver self-reflective, person-centred care.
The eLearning consists of 2 sessions: Session 1: The relationship between infant feeding and perinatal mental health.
Session 2: Practical skills to support families with infant feeding and perinatal mental health The programme is intended for anyone involved in providing support to families during pregnancy and the first couple of years after birth, including midwives, health visitors, infant feeding support workers, perinatal mental health specialists, psychological professionals, and early years workers.
On completion of this training, it is intended staff will be better equipped to provide holistic, wraparound care that is tailored to the needs and circumstances of the family. For more information and to access the sessions, please visit the Breastfeeding and Perinatal Mental Health programme on the NHS Learning Hub.

Talking therapies and community mental health guidelines published

NHS England has developed new guidance to support improved joint working between NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression and Community Mental Health (CMH) services. The guidance sets out the key barriers preventing seamless care between these services, provides clarity on national policy expectations for supporting people seeking help, as well as good practice guides and case examples to support improved care. Developed with the aid of a working group made up of lived experience experts, clinical advisors, and staff from both NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression and CMH teams, the document establishes four principles for improving seamless care between the two services: Improving appropriate referrals to services
Improving the ability for people to move between services where appropriate
Increasing provision of evidence based psychological therapies for people with severe mental health problems and outcome monitoring within CMH services
Avoiding duplication of service provision across mental health pathways The guidance is available on the National Adult and Older Adult Mental Health Programme Future NHS Platform workspace.
A national webinar on this guidance is taking place on Thursday 5 October at 10am. For more information, please contact england.adultmh@nhs.net.

NEW – Education Bulletin available

The latest Education Bulletin produced the library team at Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is available on this blog for the first time. If you are unable to access any of the articles included, please contact academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk.