Evaluation of Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Services: Survey of Healthcare Staff

About the research

The time before and after the birth of a child is recognised as providing increased risk of poor mental health in women. The Evaluation of Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Services includes two surveys, one for healthcare staff, and one for recent mothers and some more in-depth interviews

This page is for the survey of healthcare staff.

Click here if you have been invited to take part in the survey of new mothers.

Click here if you have been invited to take part in the follow-up interviews.

The aim of the survey of healthcare staff is to provide local and national information on the knowledge and experience of perinatal and infant mental health services from the perspective of those providing them and those in a position to refer women to them. It looks in particular at the referral process and the impact of recent changes to services or the introduction of new services.

The objectives of the study are to:

• provide evidence which will contribute to Public Health Scotland’s wider evaluation of the Scottish Government’s perinatal and infant mental health services expansion
• inform progress towards implementation of recommendations from the ‘Better Mental Health in Scotland: Delivery plan’ (2018) 
• provide NHS Boards with information about staff experiences in their respective areas
• identify variation between health board areas
• highlight areas of best practice and areas for improvement

Who is carrying out this research?

The survey is funded by Public Health Scotland, and is being carried out by the Scottish Centre for Social Research.

Why take part?

This is your chance to have a say on the changes in the provision of perinatal and infant mental health services in your Health Board. By completing the survey, you will be letting us know whether recent reforms have been effective, highlighting areas of best practice and where reforms are not working as planned. The findings from this evaluation will help shape future service provision in your Health Board. 

What will it involve?

In your invitation email you were provided with a link to an online survey; follow this link to take you to the survey. While the survey can be completed on a smartphone, we recommend you complete it on a tablet, laptop, or PC. It should take around 10 minutes to complete. You will be asked questions about perinatal and infant mental health services in your Health Board area, including the referral process, the impact of any changes, and how well equipped you feel to deal with any changes to your role.

What will the data be used for?

This research forms part of a larger evaluation into Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Services. It will provide important information about the views of practitioners working with women and their families in the perinatal period and/or with infants in the early years support on the recent changes in the delivery of these services. The findings will be used by Public Health Scotland as part of the evaluation. They will also be made available to health professionals and researchers. We will publish the findings in a report which is free to download. All data are anonymised before being passed on to funders or used in the report.

Who should respond to the survey?

Invitations to participate have been distributed by heads of profession and senior staff in all Health Boards in Scotland. You have received an invite as you have been identified as someone who works with women and their families in the perinatal period and/or with infants in the early years. We would welcome responses from everyone who has received an invite, irrespective of how advanced your Health Board is in implementing changes in Perinatal and Infant Mental Health services, or how big or small the impact is on your work, although participation is entirely voluntary.

Can I take part if I can’t complete the online survey?

If you need to, you can ask someone to help you complete the survey. This might be someone you feel comfortable sharing your survey answers with.

What will happen to the information I give?

We will treat your information in the strictest confidence under current data protection legislation. The results are used for research purposes only. We will only ask for your name and contact details if you are willing to take part in follow up research in relation to the Evaluation of Infant and Perinatal Mental Health Services. This information will be stored securely and not be used for any other purpose. Before we analyse and share the data with anyone, we remove any information that could directly identify you. The anonymised data will be provided to Public Health Scotland. It will not be possible to identify anyone who took part in the survey in any reports written. 

More information about how the data will be handled is included in the privacy notice.

Where can I find out more?

If you have any questions about the research, email us at PNIMH@scotcen.org.uk or phone us free on 0800 652 0401.