The Infant Mental Health Service, based at Parkside Medical Centre on Dewsbury Road in Beeston, has won the High Quality Care award at the recent Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust annual awards.
Dr Dawn Harper from Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies was on hand to present the award. The team work with parents and babies to help prevent mental ill-health in later life. Over recent years there has been growing evidence that demonstrates how crucial early childhood experiences and the vital role of caregiving relationships are in shaping babies’ brains.
Sue Ranger, Clinical Psychologist at the Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust Infant Mental Health Service, said:
“Secure attachment relationships have a positive effect on babies’ emotional and social wellbeing and development. Where there are concerns in the attachment relationship, early intervention is known to prevent the development of mental health problems in later life.”
The team run training across the city for foster carers and social workers as well as health professionals to help them identify problems and offer solutions.
The Infant Mental Health Service works with families from pregnancy and infants 24 months and under, offering targeted support that may include psychotherapy, specialist therapeutic activities and psycho-education. Since the service was created in 2012, the team, which includes a clinical psychologist and specialist health visitors, have trained over 700 health professionals, including health visitors and midwives.
Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust provides a range of community services in Leeds for adults and children including community nursing, health visiting, physiotherapy, community dentistry, primary care mental health, smoking cessation and sexual health services. Visit www.leedscommunityhealthcare.nhs.uk for more information.
A top team and a well deserved award. Not that I am biassed in any way….
So pleased to see this fantastic team be awarded for such crucial work for the children of Leeds!