Impact of interprofessional collaboration between midwives, nurses and mental health professionals in the care of mothers with postpartum depression and psychosis in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Abstract Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) affects 23.9% of mothers in England and postpartum psychosis (PP) has an incidence of 0.25-0.6 cases per 1000 UK births, contributing to suicide as the leading cause of maternal mortality in high-income countries and costing the NHS nearly £8.1 billion annually. Despite initiatives such as the creation of community perinatal teams from 2019 and NHS recommendations, systemic barriers persist including the operational disconnect between primary care and mental health, the uneven distribution of Mother-Baby Units (MBUs), training deficits, with 68% of GPs acknowledging a lack of training in postnatal mental health and the underutilisation of validated tools such as the Edinburgh Scale (EPDS). Aims: This narrative review aimed to examine the impact of interprofessional collaboration between midwives, nurses and mental health specialists on the quality of care for mothers with PPD and PP in the UK, assessing its influence on access to specialist treatment, clinical outcomes and structural barriers limiting its effectiveness. Method: Following the PRISMA protocol, a systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus and Medline for the period 2016-2024 using Boolean operators combining ‘postpartum depression’ or ‘postpartum psychosis’ with ‘midwives’ or ‘nurses’ and ’ collaboration ’ or ‘teamwork’ in the UK context. Result: 371 initial records were obtained, after removing duplicates and applying inclusion criteria, 42 articles were assessed using the CASP list and 8 studies were included for analysis in this review. Conclusion: Interprofessional collaboration is essential to optimise the early detection and treatment of PPD and PP, but it requires concrete actions to overcome the fragmentation of the healthcare system. The importance of establishing clinical liaison roles to ensure continuity after postpartum is highlighted. Implement practical training programmes on perinatal mental health for professionals through simulations. At the same time, there must be a firm stance on investment in equitable coverage of MBU units. These reforms, designed in collaboration with patients and professionals, are essential to improving perinatal care. And thus, address the more than £8.1 billion per year that perinatal mental health problems generate for the NHS.