Karen Drummond

Community Charge Nurse – Perinatal Mental Health Service
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

I have worked in the Perinatal Mental Health Service for seven years now. Initially as a staff nurse in the mother and baby unit and now as a psychiatric nurse in the community team. Working in the community enables me to build strong therapeutic relationships with women and their families and help support their difficulties with their mental health whilst caring for a new baby. This is a safe space and protected time that allows mums to open up about how they are feeling, sharing the difficult and scary side of motherhood. Having that one-one time in their home environment allows you to really listen to what a mother is saying and understand what matters to her. I feel privileged to be invited into their homes when they have just had a new baby – one of the most vulnerable times of a woman’s life.

What difference do you hope to have on the health and wellbeing of those you care for?

I am passionate about changing the stigma surrounding perinatal mental health. I still hear it from the public and even other healthcare professionals. There is ongoing judgement and high expectations put on mothers, particularly if they are struggling with their mental health. I want to change attitudes and educate people about what that means. There is so much pressure on women already, the additional negative perception can be detrimental to the wellbeing of them and their baby and can stop mothers from reaching out for help when they need it most. My hope is to raise awareness of perinatal illness and normalise some of the difficulties mothers and their families can face, to empower women to seek support and to encourage open and honest communication about the reality of motherhood and the impact this can have on your mental wellbeing.

What are the skills you need to work as a Perinatal Mental Health Nurse?

Compassion, kindness, openness and being non-judgemental. You have to remain curious and deeply listen to what someone is saying rather than being dismissive or assuming you understand, and it’s not always helpful just to ‘fix’ the problem. It’s always important to delve that little deeper. This is a vulnerable time for parents, they are sharing distressing thoughts and feelings, worrying they will be judged or considered a ‘bad mum’. They may assume you are labelling them and often ask if their children will be removed from their care. My role is the exact opposite of that – to keep mothers and their babies together, prompting their bond and attachment whilst helping them to recover from whatever mental health problem they may be experiencing. Allowing them to believe in themself, recognise that they are good enough and support them throughout their journey of recovery.

What have been the challenges of COVID-19 and what has enabled you to keep going?

When the pandemic started, our roles in the community changed significantly. No longer could we do our daily home visits and return to the office to catch up with colleagues to reflect on the challenges of the day. The majority of home visits stopped, our appointments changed to telephone or video calls – often from our own homes – this had never happened in our nursing world before. We were used to face-to-face, hands-on, connecting with each other. That had all suddenly been taken away and it was difficult for staff and patients to adapt to – but we did! Juggling patient anxieties, colleague anxieties and my own anxieties was hard. I always reminded myself of the advice I would give to others. Be kind to yourself. Acknowledge your small achievements. Prioritise time to look after yourself. For me, this meant daily walks in the fresh air, practicing mindfulness, supervision with colleague’s to share our fears. Most importantly asking for help when I needed it to. I work in a very supportive, understanding team that have high morale and team spirit. The support from them, my family and friends and the new friends I have made on my QNIS journey is what has kept me going.