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Mother and Baby Unit (Bethlem Royal Hospital)

How our service can help you

We specialise in the treatment of antenatal and postnatal illnesses. Our service is for women who develop a mental illness or have a relapse of serious mental illness during pregnancy, and women who have developed postnatal depression, post partum psychosis or have had a relapse of serious mental illness following the birth of their baby.

We support the mother in developing a relationship with her infant in order to reduce the impact of the mother's illness on the child. We offer a holistic treatment programme, and encourage the involvement of fathers or partners in the process. We admit with babies where it is the wish of the mother and it is clinically safe to do so. We are also able to take mothers without their babies, and offer a programme of gradual reintroduction to the mother on the ward. We also have an inpatient parenting assessment service, providing a unique and highly specialised service to local and national authorities across the United Kingdom. We undertake assessment of women or couples and their infant, where there is potential risk or safeguarding issues arising from the parents' mental health problems.

Our team is committed to providing cost-effective, evidence based treatments that reduce risk, establish a relationship between mother and baby, and prepares them for a lasting return to the community. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, where there is a perinatal section headed by a world renowned expert psychiatrist, who leads many of our staff in carrying out research of international significance.

See our videos that explan more about our Mother and Baby Unit. 
 

  • Service Borough Covers: National (Adult services) Treatment type: Inpatient

  • Contact the service

    Site Location: Bethlem Royal Hospital Phone Number: 020 3228 4265 or 020 3228 4255
  • Disabled Access:

    Yes
  • Address: Fitzmary House
    Bethlem Royal Hospital
    Monks Orchard Road,
    Beckenham,
    BR3 3BX
  • Business Hours/Visiting Hours:

    OPENING TIMES: 24 hrs for inpatient and 9 am to 5pm Mon – Fri outpatients.

    VISITING TIMES: 10am to 8pm – inpatients.

     

    • Other essential information

  • Conditions: Addictions, Anxiety, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Autism, Bipolar disorder, Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), Childhood degenerative disorders, Conduct disorder, Dementia, Depression, Dissociative disorders, Eating disorders, Learning disabilities, Neuropsychiatry, Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), Perinatal disorders, Persistent physical symptoms, Personality disorders, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Psychosexual, Psychosis, Self-harm

Referrals

Referrals

We accept referrals from:

  •  Community Mental Health Teams
  • AE Liaison services 
  • Female Acute wards 

Referral criteria

  • Women who are experiencing significant mental health difficulties during the last trimester of their pregnancy (32 weeks +) or if they have a baby less than 12 months of age
  • Women who present with an immediate physical risk to their baby, or others, cannot be accepted and may need to initially be admitted to an adult acute ward until the risk reduces.

Referral process

  • Emergency admissions are accepted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
  • Assessment for admission will be through the local Perinatal Community Mental Health Teams , Liaison teams in accident + emergency departments and Acute mental health wards. 
  • South London and Maudsley Mother and Baby Unit is on WebBeds a website for NHS professionals to find a Mother and Baby Unit bed anywhere in England perinatal.cpms.necsu.nhs.uk
  • Referrals will be supported by the completion of the national perinatal mental health service inpatient referral form
  • To support clinical decision-making contact can be made with the MBU in order to discuss any potential referral.
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