This is an option module within the MSc Healthcare Practice programme and the PGDip/MSc Advanced Clinical Practice programme. It may also be taken as a free-standing module. The module will enable registered midwives and other registered healthcare professionals to critically appraise the intersectionality of the socio-political, racial, economic and cultural context of the care of women and birthing people with antenatal and postnatal mental health problems. It will look at the history and underlying paradigms that inform care, and approach this from a feminist and critical social theory perspective.

The module will equip students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to meet current challenges in improving outcomes for vulnerable and disadvantaged families, and to critique services in order to advocate for them. It will enable students to understand the importance of providing effective high-quality care through effective interprofessional collaboration and development of managed care pathways. 

Aims

The module will develop student’s understanding of perinatal mental well-being and highlight the importance of effective interprofessional collaboration. It will equip students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to meet current challenges in improving outcomes for vulnerable and disadvantaged families.

What and how you will learn on this module

How you will learn:

This module is delivered using a blended learning approach which integrates a variety of on-campus and online activities, supported by Canvas, the University’s virtual learning environment. A complementary range of activities are employed to engage you in the critical exploration of key topic areas, and the completion of formative tasks during the module also helps to keep you on track with the learning and gain feedback on your understanding of the content. A sense of community is developed and maintained with frequent opportunities for peer learning, enabling you to share your practice experiences and to learn from each other. Level 6 and level 7 students taking this module may be taught together.

Academic writing and critical thinking skills are developed through ‘The Critical Thinking Skills Toolkit’ and other academic practice activities embedded within the module, that have been designed to nurture the skills needed to facilitate you to become a thoughtful, objective and reasoned thinker. This will help you tackle the assignment(s) confidently, understand marking criteria, use evidence, take a reasoned approach, make structured arguments and engage with other points of view. 

What you will learn:

• Overview of mental health problems – national and international perspectives

• Mental disorders during pregnancy and the postnatal period

• Sociological and cultural perspectives on women and mental health

• Mental health issues – impact on relationships and the family

• Effects of addictive behaviours on perinatal mental health

• MBRRACE, Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquires

• Inequalities and mental health

• Clinical guidelines on perinatal mental health e.g. NICE guidelines

• Prevention, prediction, detection and initial management of mental disorders

• The voice of women and families – user perspective

• Supporting families/multi-agency care/multidisciplinary initiatives

• Developing managed care networks: integrated care pathways

• Professional boundaries and barriers/developing effective communication systems.

Academic practice

• Database searching

• Referencing and avoiding plagiarism

• Critical Thinking Skills Toolkit.

Course length: 10 Teaching Days

Assessment

Case Study (4000 words)