Kerry moms get new book on well-being during pregnancy and post-birth
The booklet is available in Kerry and Cork and offers useful advice on topics including nutrition, exercise, sleep, and mental health supports.
Dr Freda Wynne, Senior Clinical Psychologist, said the booklet outlines the fundamental elements in the importance of carving out time for oneself.
It addresses the mental health concerns that new mothers may face and directs them to the appropriate resources for support. Additionally, the book includes a comprehensive list of services ranging from acute care to community-based family resource centres and online support.
The booklet is a joint project between staff at University Hospital Kerry, HSE South West mental health services, and Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH). It is funded by HSE South West 'Connecting for Life' (the regional self-harm and suicide reduction plan).
Martin Ryan, Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention, with HSE South West said the booklet's 'Connecting for Life' link ensures that families have the essential tools they need for a thriving start.
'This initiative exemplifies successful cross-disciplinary collaboration with the potential to significantly enhance the well-being of expecting and new mothers, as well as their support networks, including new dads,' Mr Ryan said.
The project team thanked and acknowledged HSE colleagues in HSE Dublin and South East, as this booklet took their work and built on it to make it suitable for families in Cork and Kerry.
The team included staff from the Perinatal Mental Health Service in CUMH and UHK included Dr Freda Wynne, Senior Clinical Psychologist; Breda Bird, Clinical Midwife Manager 2 (CMM2); Zodwa Lenihan, Clinical Midwife Specialist (CMS); Louise Chawke, CMM2.
It also involved Martin Ryan, (Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention, Cork); and Donagh Hennebry (Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention, Kerry).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
16 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Kerry families 'frustrated' at pace of review into children's mental health services
Families in Kerry affected by failures in children's mental health services in the county have said they are very disappointed at delays in finishing a review of care. It comes as the Mental Health Commission's annual report shows average compliance rates of 58.34% for Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) centres against four standards. HSE Southwest apologised on Wednesday for not yet finishing a 2023 review into the care of 300 children. 'They are frustrated, it's been really very, very disappointing. This is going on years now,' local TD Michael Cahill said of affected families. 'The impact its had on the individuals, most of whom are young adults now, is long-term and permanent.' He welcomed the HSE's apology but said: 'What does an apology do? I would have called on Simon Harris and Micheál Martin for a public apology, it might give some bit of comfort to the families.' Mental Health Commission report Meanwhile, the Mental Health Commission's annual report found mixed progress in adult and children's services. In Camhs centres it found problems against four standards. These were care plans, risk management, quality of buildings and staffing numbers. These low grades were despite improvements in other areas. The Eist Linn unit in Cork had a rating of 73% overall. Just three counties have Camhs beds nationally. 'Children and young people in crisis may be left with the unacceptable 'choice' between an emergency department, general hospital, children's hospital, or an adult inpatient unit,' the report said. Only five children were admitted to adult units last year, the lowest recorded. CEO John Farrelly welcomed the 'continued decline in restrictive practices' across all services. He noted some centres had fixed long-standing problems, saying: 'These services have demonstrated that poor levels of compliance can be reversed.' He also warned: 'The number of non-compliances rated as high and critical increased on previous years." The commission took 31 enforcement actions across 20 centres, including twice proposing to limit new admissions. Cork and Kerry accounted for 11.52% of physical restraint episodes last year, and the southeast, including Tipperary and Waterford, for 10.56%. The youngest resident physically restrained anywhere was 12 and the oldest was 86. There were 10 episodes of restraint using devices or bodily garments for between 25 minutes and four hours. Last year, there were 316 programmes of Electro-Convulsive Therapy notified for 235 patients in 16 approved centres. The HSE welcomed positive trends, saying six centres achieved 100% compliance, four of which were HSE facilities. Referring to non-compliances, a spokeswoman said: 'The new regional structure will improve how services are run in each area and provide a consistent quality of care across the country. 'HSE Mental Health will develop a detailed action plan with targeted initiatives to improve compliance in these areas.'
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
HSE apologises for two-year delay in North Kerry children's mental health review
The HSE has apologised for the fact that a review of 300 children in mental health services in North Kerry has taken two years and is still not complete. The report is only at draft stage, minister of state for mental health Mary Butler told the Oireachtas Health Committee on Wednesday morning. She also said that 'red flags' identified in children's care have already led to individual open disclosure meetings between families and the HSE. After the committee, a spokeswoman for HSE Southwest said: 'We sincerely regret that this review process has taken longer than we initially hoped, and we apologise to the young people involved and their families.' She said it is not yet possible to give a definitive completion date. 'It is important to point out that all individual young people and families have already been told what the review team found in relation to their care,' she said. 'The information was provided in person at individual open disclosure meetings detailing the full clinical details available in relation to the cases involved where necessary.' The final report will contain recommendations from Dr Colette Halpin and her expert team, as well as relevant clinical information. The look-back review was set up after the shocking findings from the Maskey Report on CAMHS in South Kerry, which included evidence of 'significant harm' caused to 46 children among the 240 whose care was deemed substandard.
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Kerry moms get new book on well-being during pregnancy and post-birth
The booklet is available in Kerry and Cork and offers useful advice on topics including nutrition, exercise, sleep, and mental health supports. Dr Freda Wynne, Senior Clinical Psychologist, said the booklet outlines the fundamental elements in the importance of carving out time for oneself. It addresses the mental health concerns that new mothers may face and directs them to the appropriate resources for support. Additionally, the book includes a comprehensive list of services ranging from acute care to community-based family resource centres and online support. The booklet is a joint project between staff at University Hospital Kerry, HSE South West mental health services, and Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH). It is funded by HSE South West 'Connecting for Life' (the regional self-harm and suicide reduction plan). Martin Ryan, Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention, with HSE South West said the booklet's 'Connecting for Life' link ensures that families have the essential tools they need for a thriving start. 'This initiative exemplifies successful cross-disciplinary collaboration with the potential to significantly enhance the well-being of expecting and new mothers, as well as their support networks, including new dads,' Mr Ryan said. The project team thanked and acknowledged HSE colleagues in HSE Dublin and South East, as this booklet took their work and built on it to make it suitable for families in Cork and Kerry. The team included staff from the Perinatal Mental Health Service in CUMH and UHK included Dr Freda Wynne, Senior Clinical Psychologist; Breda Bird, Clinical Midwife Manager 2 (CMM2); Zodwa Lenihan, Clinical Midwife Specialist (CMS); Louise Chawke, CMM2. It also involved Martin Ryan, (Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention, Cork); and Donagh Hennebry (Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention, Kerry).
