Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Services of the Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN) is a service for mentally ill women who have a child less than 3 years of age. The service has an inpatient unit, Helen Mayo House, which admits psychiatrically ill women along with their infants.
The average length of stay is approximately 3 weeks, with the women receiving care on biological, psychological and social issues as necessary, along with care and attention to the mother-infant relationship and the needs of the infant.
The service also provides the following:
- extensive teaching regarding perinatal and infant mental health throughout South Australia
- some community based services in the perinatal and infant mental health fields, including one-off psychiatric assessments and consultations with a wide range of practitioners including GPs and child and family health nurses
- a service at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital campus for patients already receiving either obstetric or neonatal care at that hospital.