Since 2022, we have been commissioned by NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board to provide psychological support for families involved in the Independent Maternity Review led by Donna Ockenden at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. This service is called the Family Psychological Support Service, or FPSS. Visit the FPSS Nottingham website here.
Through this work we have built a team with extensive experience in perinatal mental health and trauma-informed care, at all stages of the perinatal journey. We have developed training and psychological support for maternity teams to ensure that the learnings of the Review can benefit the wider perinatal system.
Drawing on what we have learned from working alongside families within the Review, and in response to the recommendations of the Ockenden Report, we have developed an FPSS service model that can provide psychological support at every stage of the maternity journey and be implemented within any hospital trust. It is designed to sit alongside maternity pathways, so that families can get the right support at the right time.
FPSS provides a response for recommendations from the Ockenden Report and can be put in place swiftly, easing the pressure on midwifery teams while giving families an independent space to be heard and receive the psychological support they need before and after birth.
We are working with NHS Trusts and commissioning groups to extend this support to more families. We understand the importance of a seamless service that is easy to navigate, so it is flexible and can be shaped around the needs of your local population and the provision you already have in place. If you are a commissioner, a Director of Midwifery or a leader within maternity services, please get in touch to find out how the service works and how it could be built for your area.
For many families, the birth experience can be challenging and cause them ongoing distress regardless of the outcome. We recognise that many experience trauma reactions stemming from the events before, during and after birth. We have significant expertise in supporting families who have had such experiences.
If you would like psychological support during pregnancy, after a difficult birth or following a bereavement, for yourself or your family, we can offer our maternity support on a private basis. We can offer sessions to anyone within the family who has been affected. We have staff trained to work with children and young people impacted by traumatic events or loss.
Please get in touch and we will talk you through how it works, what support might be helpful and the costs involved.
We have built and delivered training for maternity and hospital staff that draws directly on our work with families and maternity teams. Our sessions cover trauma-informed communication, clinical notes writing, restorative practice, managing moral injury, and psychological safety at work. Together, they help staff feel more confident in difficult conversations, keep clear and accurate records, reflect and learn together after adverse events, and build a workplace where people feel able to speak up and ask for help. Alongside the training, we offer independent psychological support for staff after critical incidents or during periods of sustained pressure, with qualified psychotherapists outside their own team.
We build and deliver training for maternity and hospital staff, designed to improve confidence, support wellbeing and strengthen teams.
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