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Why is this important?

Physical health and wellbeing is especially important during your pregnancy and in the postnatal period. This is called the perinatal period.

To support you throughout this time, the perinatal team are delighted to offer a range of initiatives to enable and maintain healthy pregnancies and healthy lifestyles.

Within the perinatal team, we now have a dedicated practitioner who can work with you on the practical aspects of physical health and wellbeing.

What is the role of the physical health and well being practitioner?

Our physical health and wellbeing practitioner can offer brief interventions focused around:

  • Sleep
  • Eating well, nutrition, NHS advice on supplements
  • Healthy movement
  • Support with and signposting for lifestyle interventions including smoking, alcohol, substances
  • Accessing financial or housing support
  • Health promotion and improving access to smear tests, sexual health screening, vaccinations, post-natal follow up with GP, accessing contraception and family planning clinics
  • For those who are taking antipsychotic or mood stabilising medication it is important that regular physical health monitoring takes place and our practitioners can complete these with you or support with access to blood or ECG clinics.

Other members of our team (psychologists, occupational therapists, health visitors or parent infant practitioners) may also be able to offer specific support if required.

Find out more about our Specialist Perinatal Service.

Our patients matter

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust listens and responds to patients and their carers to help improve the services we deliver.

If you have any comments, compliments or concerns you can speak with a member of staff or contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and Complaints Team.

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
V7 Building
Kings Business Park
Prescot
Merseyside
L34 1PJ

Telephone: 0151 471 2377 - freephone: 0800 328 2941

Email: palsandcomplaints@merseycare.nhs.uk

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Approval date: 24 June 2025

Review date: 18 June 2026

Version number: 1

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