Accessibility and acceptability of perinatal mental health services for women from Ethnic Minority groups
In April 2019 we will begin a new study exploring the accessibility and acceptability of perinatal mental health services for women from ethnic minority groups (PAAM study).
The study, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, will involve our clinicians, researchers, women with lived experience and their families and will be led by Professor Stefan Priebe, Professor of Social and Community Psychiatry, Queen Mary University of London.
Women who experience mental health problems in the perinatal period often face a number of barriers that prevent seeking help. As a consequence, mental illness frequently remains untreated which has a significant negative impact on mothers’ health, the health of their children, the wider family and society as a whole. The barriers can be even bigger for women from ethnic minorities, reflecting their disproportionate exposure to psychosocial risks.
Our team of co-investigators: Dr. Jelena Jankovic, Dr. Giles Berrisford and Professor Alex Copello are part of the study team that will look into this issue using a mixed method research study that will:
- Establish the rates of women from ethnic minorities who use mental health services in the perinatal period using two large national databases
- Identify pathways to accessing community and inpatient perinatal mental health services in Birmingham and East London - two localities with large ethnic minority populations in the UK
- Explore the attitudes, expectations and experiences of women from ethnic minorities who experienced perinatal mental health problems, of their partners and family members/carers and of health professionals;
- Disseminate the findings to a range of stakeholders.
Clinical trials in the Trust: Our performance in setting up and recruiting to clinical trials
The Department of Health requires all Trusts to report on its performance in setting up and recruiting to high quality clinical trials, including those funded and sponsored by a commercial company.
Clinical trials are research studies involving patients that compare a new or different type of treatment with the best treatment currently available (if there is one).
- Clinical trials are not limited to drug studies. They can be one of the following:
- Clinical trial of an investigational medicinal product (the traditional drug study)
- Clinical investigation of a medical device
- Other clinical trial to study a novel intervention or randomised clinical trial to compare interventions in clinical practice (a new therapy for example)
Updates on our performance are provided to the Department of Health by the Research and Innovation Department on a quarterly basis.
If you have any queries or require further information on data below, please contact us on: bsmhft.researchandinnovation@nhs.net
Initiating
Quarterly, for all clinical trials submitted to the R&I department for approval within the last 12 months, we must report on:
- How well we performed in setting up the study within 40 days of receipt
- How well we performed in recruiting the first participant within 70 days of receipt
Delivering
Quarterly, for all clinical trials funded or sponsored by a commercial company which have closed within the last 12 months, we must report on:
- How well we recruit to the agreed time frame
- How well we recruit to the agreed target
For full details of Trust performance on Initiating and Delivering Clinical Trials please see the following link:
https://ccfctp.nihr.ac.uk/public-trustsubmissions/birmingham-and-solihull-mental-health-nhs-foundation-trust-983
