Mother baby mental health services
Overview
During your pregnancy and after you give birth, you may experience mental health issues. Sometimes, a woman’s existing mental health issues or a specific illness may worsen after having a baby. Many women, of all ages and from all different backgrounds, can have these experiences. It is important that these experiences are acknowledged and supported as early as possible. These issues can have a long-term impact on mothers and babies. Mother baby services provide a range of care and supports to women in western Victoria and north western metropolitan Melbourne.
Mother baby services, as a part of Mercy Mental Health, consist of the:
- Mother Baby Unit services for inpatients at the Mother Baby Unit, Werribee Mercy Hospital
- outpatient service at Mercy Mental Health Wyndham Clinic.
Specialist mother baby services provide:
- clinical care for mental health disorders during the perinatal period
- opportunities for education and training for health providers
- research into the factors that cause perinatal mental health disorders
- staff training and development
- secondary consultation with mental health professionals and community-based professionals (GPs, psychologists, maternal child health nurses, and affected families).
The catchment for our mother baby services includes: North-Western Metropolitan region and extends to the SA and NSW Borders. This includes Western Metropolitan Melbourne, Barwon and Geelong, Glenelg, The Grampians, Loddon, Campaspee, Southern Mallee and Northern Mallee.
For more information, please see our Mother Baby Unit inpatient page and our outpatient services.
Our history in perinatal mental health
Mercy Hospital for Women was the first obstetric hospital in Australia to provide a perinatal mental health inpatient service within a maternity care setting, when it opened Mother Baby Unit at its East Melbourne Hospital in 1988.
Mother baby care and support is offered at Werribee Mercy Hospital and Mercy Mental Health Wyndham Clinic. The Mother Baby Unit is located at Werribee Mercy Hospital. This service provides inpatient care for women experiencing mental health disorders in the postnatal period, until their infant is one year old.
There is also an outpatient service for women, which operates from Mercy Mental Health’s Wyndham Clinic.
The catchment for mother baby services in Werribee includes: North-Western Metropolitan region and extends to the SA and NSW Borders. This includes Western Metropolitan Melbourne, Barwon and Geelong, Glenelg, The Grampians, Loddon, Campaspee, Southern Mallee and Northern Mallee.
Our locations
Clinics and services
Contacts
In case of emergency, call 000
Emergency contacts
Mental Health Triage
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Phone numbers:
Mental Health Triage
1300 657 259
24 hours, 7 days a week
- Website: Mercy Mental Health Triage
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About:
If you are experiencing mental distress or you are seeking treatment for a mental health problem, please phone the triage line
For emergencies requiring immediate assistance, call 000.
You may need to leave a message on an answering service and the triage worker will return your call as soon as possible.
Emergency Department
- Website: Emergency Department
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Address:
300 Princes Highway
Werribee Victoria 3030
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About:
The Werribee Mercy Hospital Emergency Department provides urgent assessment and treatment for people of all ages, and for all conditions.
For non-urgent conditions, there are general practitioners (GPs) located near the hospital who are available until late in the evening.
If you are unsure about your condition, or you are concerned about a family member, come to the Emergency Department.
Contacts at this hospital
Mother Baby Unit
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Phone numbers:
Mother Baby Unit
03 8754 3651
- Website: Mother baby mental health services
Main Reception at Werribee Mercy Hospital
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Phone numbers:
Main Reception at Werribee Mercy Hospital
03 8754 3000
6.30am—8.30pm Monday to Friday
8am—8.30pm Saturday, Sunday and public holidays
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About:
Please call this number for all general enquires regarding Werribee Mercy Hospital services & patient enquires.
Other emergency contacts
NURSE-ON-CALL
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Phone numbers:
NURSE-ON-CALL
1300 60 60 24
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Website: NURSE-ON-CALL - health.vic
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About:
NURSE-ON-CALL is a phone service that provides immediate, expert health advice from a registered nurse.
If you think your situation is an emergency, you should always call 000 or go to an emergency department at a hospital.
Call for the cost of a local call from anywhere in Victoria for health advice 24 hours a day (calls from mobile phones may be charged at a higher rate).
NURSE-ON-CALL puts you directly in touch with a registered nurse for caring, professional health advice around the clock. You may need us when:
– you or someone you’re caring for is feeling unwell
– you are not sure if you should seek medical help
– you’re away from home or situated a long way from medical help
– you simply want advice or information about health services in your area.What happens when I call for advice?
Step 1 – a registered nurse will answer your call and collect some basic details.Step 2 – the nurse will then ask you a series of questions about your symptoms and other issues relating to your health.
Step 3 – at the end of the call the nurse may suggest ways you can care for yourself, advise you to contact a GP or, in the event that your condition is very serious, transfer the call to 000. Note that nurses do not provide a full diagnosis of your symptoms.
NURSE-ON-CALL uses the most up-to-date health information available, giving you and your family the highest quality advice. All information you provide remains confidential and records are fully secure.
Maternal and Child Health Line
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Phone numbers:
Maternal and Child Health Line
13 22 29
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Email address: [email protected]
- Website: Maternal and Child Health Line
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About:
The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Line is a statewide telephone service available every day of the year for Victorian families with children from birth to school age.
Maternal and child health nurses can provide information, support and guidance regarding a range of issues including child health, nutrition, breastfeeding, maternal and family health and parenting.
Other places to get help
PANDA National Helpline
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Phone numbers:
PANDA’s National Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Helpline
1300 726 306
9am-7:30pm, Monday to Friday
- Website: panda.org.au
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About:
PANDA – Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia supports women, men and families across Australia affected by anxiety and depression during pregnancy and early parenthood. PANDA operates Australia’s only National Helpline for individuals and their families to recover from perinatal anxiety and depression, a serious illness that affects up to one in five expecting or new mums and one in ten expecting or new dads.
beyondblue
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Phone numbers:
beyondblue Support Service
1300 224 636
24 hours, 7 days a week
- Website: beyondblue.org.au
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About:
Equipping everyone in Australia with the knowledge and skills to achieve their best possible mental health, whatever their age and wherever they live. We give people the confidence to support those around them, and make anxiety, depression and suicide part of everyday conversations. And as well as tackling stigma, prejudice and discrimination, we’re breaking down the barriers that prevent people from speaking up and reaching out.
Services avialable through the beyondblue website include:
- Call
- Chat online
- Online forums
If you require immediate support, please contact the beyondblue Support Service.
Lifeline
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Phone numbers:
Lifeline
131 114
24 hours, 7 days a week
- Website: lifeline.org.au
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About:
Lifeline is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.
What happens when you call 13 11 14
Our trained Telephone Crisis Supporters will answer your call and:Listen to your situation
Provide immediate support
Assist to clarify options and choices available to you
Provide you with referral information for other services in your local area.
Your call will be answered as soon as possible by the next available crisis supporter. If your call isn’t answered straight away, it means we are experiencing high demand for our service and helping other Australians in need.Please stay on the line or call back later.
If you are in immediate danger call 000.
Parentline
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Phone numbers:
Parentline
13 22 89
8am to midnight, 7 days a week.
- Website: parentline
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About:
Parentline is a confidential and anonymous phone counselling service for parents and carers of children and teenagers in Victoria. We offer counselling, information and support around a range of parenting issues.
Raising Children Network
- Website: raisingchildren.net.au
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About:
Raising Children Network is the complete resource for Australian parents, taking you from pregnancy to newborns to teenagers. We offer evidence-based content you can trust on hundreds of topics about raising children and looking after yourself as a parent.
At the Raising Children Network website, we believe that all children and families are individual and different. Our scientifically validated content is translated into everyday language to help parents and carers make decisions that work for them in their individual family circumstances.
The International Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health
- Website: marcesociety.com
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About:
Dedicated to supporting research and assistance surrounding prenatal & postpartum mental health for mothers, fathers and their babies.
Victoria's Mental Health Services - Department of Health
- Website: Victoria's Mental Health Services
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About:
Contact details for your area so you can call your Mental Health service triage.
Last reviewed July 10, 2018.
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