Eligibility criteria

Referrals accepted for parents who have a Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score of 13 or more or a patient health questionnaire (PHQ9) score of 10 or more and/or a generalised anxiety disorder (GAD7) score of five or more or a practitioner assessment.

This programme may not be suitable for individuals who are currently receiving active support from mental health services.

If you would like to refer a client for whom this applies, or wish to discuss any clients suitability for referral, please contact Shirley Shailer, perinatal and infant mental health clinical lead, on 07827 882 496 or at dhc.cypphscentralservicesadmin@nhs.net

It is essential that it is explained to those clients referred, that the group is run via Microsoft Teams. Clients will need to be able to access the group via a smartphone or other device and an invitation link to the entire course will be sent upfront with weekly reminders for each session via email. It is essential to gain verbal consent to the sharing of their email address and name with others in the group. Parents will be informed that a SystmOne health visiting record will be set up for them while they are attending the group, so that we can record attendance.

Once a referral is received, it will be triaged by the health visitor and, once accepted, a course facilitator will make contact with the parent to introduce themselves and answer any further questions about the group.

When sharing this service with families, please explain that this group is a new service development and that Dorset HealthCare values parent feedback to shape how we offer future groups.