Maternity trauma and loss care

The service is being rolled out in a phased way - see the referral criteria for more information about who can refer at this stage. 

The maternity trauma and loss care service is for people:

• Aged 18+
• Who are resident in one of the 8 North West London boroughs – Ealing, Hounslow, Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.

For whom any of the following apply:

• You have a severe fear of childbirth (with or without previous experience of pregnancy)
• You're currently pregnant (and booked for maternity care with one of the 6 NWL maternity hospitals), have had a pregnancy or have given birth in the past 12 months, and are affected by:
  • A traumatic birth
  • Trauma due to baby loss during pregnancy or within the first year. Please note that we only accept referrals that are one month post-trauma/loss to allow for natural grieving/healing processes.
• You've experienced other traumatic events or experiences which are negatively impacting their current pregnancy or experience of parenting during the first year after giving birth. 

Please note that this service is currently unable to provide support for parents who have a baby that is no longer in their care; this includes women whose baby is in the care of the Local Authority.

The service does not routinely accept referrals for Primary Tokophobia (fear of pregnancy and childbirth) for people past 32 weeks of pregnancy. However, do give the team a call to discuss any such referrals.

We offer individual, evidence-based care, taking into account what has or hasn’t helped in the past. We will work with each woman to ensure that treatment is suited to meet their particular needs.

Our team offers the following:

• Individual talking therapies
• Group therapies
• Emotional support
• Detailed birth planning
• Advice on other services that may be helpful now or in the future
• Information on support services for partners and significant others.

The service accepts both self-referrals and referrals from health and social care professionals, such as GPs, midwives or health visitors. Consent MUST be obtained from the woman before any professional initiates a referral.

Refer yourself to the maternity trauma and loss care service

Refer someone to the service (professional's referral form) 

What happens after referral?   
    
All referrals will be triaged by a maternity trauma and loss care clinician, and if it's established that the service is suitable to provide support or treatment, an initial assessment appointment will be offered. 

Initial assessments will take place either face to face or online, as appropriate. If it's considered that there is a more appropriate service available, you will be contacted to discuss this further and offered advice and support with a referral to an alternative service.

Interpreting and translation
   
An interpreter can be requested to be present at appointments, either in person, via video or over the phone. It's also possible to request written information to be translated. Please let the team know if an interpreter or translation is required.

For non-pregnant women and those who have experienced pregnancy loss, stillbirth or a neonatal loss or birth trauma.

For pregnant women, the service is available only to those receiving care at the following maternity units:

• Chelsea & Westminster Hospital
• West Middlesex Hospital
• Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital
• St Mary’s Hospital
• Northwick Park Hospital
• Hillingdon Hospital.

You can download and print our patient leaflet here. 

We value your feedback as it helps us monitor and improve our services and deliver better patient-centred care.

Please take a few moments to let us know what you think of our services by completing our online friends and family test survey. (Please quote M-TLC).