Peer support complements midwifery service

We spoke to Dolly, a Perinatal Mental Health Midwife at Basildon Hospital about how peer support has complemented the midwifery service and support for expectant Mums in her care.

Dolly's role

I work in a specialist midwifery team supporting pregnant women with mental health issues and regularly refer ladies to Parents 1st Essex for peer support.  I cannot rate the team highly enough and am so grateful that they are there providing such an amazing service.

How Parents 1st Essex have responded during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Parents 1st Essex Team have always been fantastic in what they do but since the Coronavirus crisis started they have surpassed themselves – they have successfully adapted their service to meet with government guidelines around not seeing women face to face and staying safe and yet are still able to support those who need it. During this awful pandemic their ongoing phone contact with women who are isolated and feeling alone is absolutely priceless.

Feedback from Mums

I get regular feedback from the ladies I care for saying how great the Parents 1st Essex Facebook page is – how they love the online classes, in particular the relaxation sessions and the fact they can turn to that platform for reliable and easy to understand information and advice.

Final reflections

On a professional level I cannot fault the team, every single team member I speak to is a credit to the service. It is not only clear that they are highly trained in what they do, but also proud and passionate about the role they play in the lives of the women and families they support. Selfishly I can say that they make my role easier! I am confident that the ladies I deal with are in safe hands when they are under Parents 1st Essex.

Thank you to the most wonderful team!

Find out more

Could you or someone you know benefit from peer support? Find out more now.