WIREDGOV

The Princess of Wales, as Patron of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, has visited Colham Manor Children’s Centre in Hillingdon, London.

The Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) is a charity and network of 120 organisations, dedicated to ensuring all women, babies, and families in the UK affected by perinatal mental health problems have access to high-quality support and compassionate care.

During her visit to the Children’s Centre, The Princess heard how the care provided in the borough of Hillingdon exemplifies the benefits of adapting a system to better suit the needs of women and families.

Her Royal Highness joined a mother and baby group taking place at the Centre and spoke to mothers who have received support for their mental health to hear about their experiences of the borough’s integrated care system.

The session included mothers who have been supported by two of the MMHA’s member organisations – Home-Start and Birth Companions. 

The Princess met representatives from agencies working across perinatal services in Hillingdon including specialist psychiatry staff, midwives, health visitors and social workers for a roundtable discussion convened by the MMHA. Within the discussion, the group spoke about how the service has developed to meet the needs of the most vulnerable mothers in their community, the impact this has had, and opportunities for further growth in the future.

The Princess of Wales was announced as Patron of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance in a special video message which was released earlier this year to mark Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week.

The Princess’ patronage of the organisation aligns with her ongoing work on the importance of early childhood development through The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, raising awareness of and promoting collaborative action on the early years to transform society for generations to come.