- SERVICE PROVIDER
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
This is an organisation that runs the health and social care services we inspect
Report from 10 July 2025 assessment
Ratings - Perinatal services
Our view of the service
The assessment of Hillingdon Community Perinatal Service took place on 5 February to 6 February 2025, with offsite interviews on 17 February 2025. The service offered Community Perinatal and Maternal Mental Health Services across Hillingdon. The overall provider, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, also provides Community Perinatal and Maternal Mental Health Services across four other boroughs (Brent, Harrow, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster), but this assessment only looked at service in Hillingdon, based at Riverside Centre, Hillingdon Hospital.
The service offered assessment and treatment to women experiencing mental health difficulties during pregnancy and within the first two years after delivery. The service offered the following:
- Preconception advice for women with complex or severe mental health problems
- Assessment and care for women with mental health needs during pregnancy and for 12-24 months post-birth
- Advice on the risks and benefits of using mental health medication in pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Care planning for pregnant women with severe mental health problems
- Planning for the postnatal period to promote wellbeing and prevent relapse
- Identification and management of the impact of obstetric complications on a woman’s mental health
- Facilitating access to the most appropriate type of psychological interventions
- Advice and support on the mother-infant relationship
- Training and education to service users and their partners, relatives and friends, health and social care professionals and voluntary organisation
We conducted a comprehensive assessment of the service in response to information received about risks. This is the first time we had inspected this service. The overall rating for the service is Good.
People's experience of this service
During this inspection, we spoke with 9 patients. Feedback from patients was mostly positive. Patients said that staff were kind, helpful and responsive to their needs. Patients told us that they felt that staff understood their needs and made sure they were offered appropriate treatment options. Patients told us that interactions between staff and patients were positive, and adapted communication needs to suit their needs.
Most patients were unaware of the formal complaints procedure and said that they were not directly informed about the process. However, most said that they would ask their allocated nurse if they needed to make a complaint.