Ways to Wellness, which operates across the North East and North Cumbria, has partnered with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) and Sunderland Counselling Service to pilot a new initiative.
This project will see a specialist social prescribing link worker provide emotional and practical support to women and girls in the community who are most at risk of pre- and postnatal mental health challenges.
Young mothers aged 16 to 25 have been identified as particularly vulnerable, with postnatal depression being up to twice as common in teenage mums compared to those over 20. A 2023 report by MBRRACE-UK—a collaboration of maternity care and support services—also revealed a concerning rise in maternal suicide among teenagers.
The collaborative Newcastle-based charity, which provides evidence-driven expertise and resources to test the potential of new healthcare initiatives to improve both patient outcomes and service delivery, will work iteratively with the programme’s funder the Pilgrim Trust, by gathering and sharing insights and case studies from the work, to help refine the service offer, and share learning across the wider maternal health community.
The link worker, hosted by Sunderland Counselling Service, will deliver a responsive offer over three years, both in the community, and via WhatsApp and text to meet the needs of the women participating in the £95,400 project.
If successful, the model could be scaled across integrated care, both regionally and further afield, with the MMHA leveraging its extensive network of members, made up of experts by experience, academics and clinicians, to disseminate the learning and inform policy
Head of Implementation at Ways to Wellness Ang Broadbridge, who for the last three years led on the charity’s wider maternal mental health service prototype, winner of the most recent Women’s Health Innovation Award from Bright Ideas in Health, said:
“This is a fantastic next step in our work in maternal mental health, which has so far provided robust data to highlight gaps in service for new and expectant mothers, and evidenced the value of social prescribing in terms of accessibility, with benefits for the wider health and care system too.
“Our prototype identified the unique support needs of younger mothers, and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to explore this further. We’re proud to partner with both the Maternal Mental Health Alliance and Sunderland Counselling Service to support more young families who might otherwise face barriers to accessing support.”
Sonja Forbes, Grants Manager at Pilgrim Trust added:
“Pilgrim Trust is delighted to support this project, which will target the specific needs of young mothers.
“Research shows this group often faces additional barriers to accessing support, such as negative stereotypes, unconscious bias and discrimination due to their age. The Young Mums Link Worker will be an integral part of addressing the wider emotional and practical factors that contribute to good maternal mental health.”
To find out more about how Ways to Wellness works with its partners to test and scale healthcare solutions, visit waystowellness.org.uk, or if there’s an idea you might like to prototype, contact the team to arrange a discussion on 0191 816 3540 or at info@waystowellness.org.uk.
