Season 1, Episode 5 Details:
Compassionate Maternal Mental Health Services with Dorset’s Head of Perinatal Services, Jagoda Banovic and Maternal Mental Health Services Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Dr Joanna Yilmaz
Listen to the episode:
Episode Overview:
Jagoda Banovic and Dr. Joanna Yilmaz reveal the challenges and triumphs of advancing women’s mental health services in Dorset. We spotlight compassionate leadership, innovative support, and collaboration driving positive change for women and families.
Detailed Episode Show Notes:
“Women’s mental health is spoken about, but not enough. Services need to be developed and delivered around them and their needs, and their voices need to be heard.”
Becoming a mother is among the greatest endeavours one can experience, so how can we shape the mental health services to ACTUALLY support those who need it most?
Maternal mental health services care for mothers at their most vulnerable moments, particularly for those who might face separation from their babies.
This week’s episode of ‘Speaking of Women’s Health’ features the wonderful Jagoda Banovic and Dr Joanna Yilmaz, whose direct work with women in Dorset brings services in line with what they really need.
Join us to explore the power of compassion & collective action, and how maternal mental health is being reshaped with women at the heart of it.
👤Guest Profiles:
Jagoda Banovic –
- Head of Perinatal Mental Health Services, Dorset Healthcare
Dr Joanna Yilmaz –
- Consultant Clinical Psychologist
- MMHS (Maternal Mental Health Services), Dorset Healthcare
⏱️ Chapters:
[0:00] – Introduction and Understanding Different Phases of Perinatal Maternal Mental Health
[7:10] – Challenges and Funding in Women’s Mental Health
[13:40] – Serious Mental Health Conditions and Complex Needs
[22:50] – Initiatives to Support & Systemic Changes Being Made
[35:05] – Passion, Progress, and Optimism for the Future
🔑Key Themes:
- Compassionate, Specialised Care for Women’s Mental Health
- Innovation and Collaboration Across Sectors of Healthcare
- Tackling Trauma, Stigma and Complex Challenges
- Breaking Systemic Barriers to Create Change
📖 Resources Mentioned:
- Women’s Health Support in Dorset: https://ourdorset.org.uk/women/
- Dorset Perinatal Mental Health Services: https://www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/our-services-and-sites/mental-health-and-learning-disabilities/perinatal-support-during-and-after-pregnancy
- Families First Partnership Programme: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/families-first-partnership-programme
🔗 Connect with us:
Marianne Storey, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-storey-46938435/
Anjali Mavi, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjali-mavi-66a5a86/
Dorset Women CIC Website: https://dorsetwomen.org.uk/
Women’s Health Support in Dorset: https://ourdorset.org.uk/women
🎯 Action Items for Listeners:
- Visit the Our Dorset Women’s Health website for evidence-based health information.
- Share the podcast and website with other women in the community.
- Open up discussions about mental health with trusted close friends and family to destigmatise mental health challenges.
💡 Top Quotes:
3:05 – Dr Joanna Yilmaz:
“There were certain groups of women who weren’t getting service with the current structure. That’s why services like ours have been set up across the country.”
3:45 – Jagoda Banovic:
“Perinatal mental health covers from when a woman becomes pregnant up until the infant’s two years of age, and sometimes even before conception.”
5:30 – Dr Joanna Yilmaz:
“We decided not to set a time limit on how long after a trauma a woman could come and get support and help, because sometimes it’s difficult for women to come forward and get the help they need.”
8:05 – Jagoda Banovic :
“Women’s mental health is spoken about, but not enough. Services need to be developed and delivered around them and their needs, and their voices need to be heard.”
9:10 – Jagoda Banovic:
“There’s that wider concern around young women and that impact of the push and pull in society on them. It’s really important that we do highlight it, shout about it, talk about it, and encourage women to come and forward and get treatment and help”
10:40 – Dr Joanna Yilmaz:
“If you want to look after children and promote the best outcomes, looking after the mental health of their parents, particularly their mother, is really, really important.”
26:15 – Dr Joanna Yilmaz:
“The HOPE Boxes are a pilot project to hopefully engage women with support services, and address a repetitive cycle where women may stand a high chance of having another child removed from their care, which is further trauma for them.”
22:55 – Dr Joanna Yilmaz: “We want to make sure that women who are at risk of separation, or who are separated from their baby through social care proceedings, have access to better, compassionate support, which they haven’t had up until now.”
31:40 – Dr Joanna Yilmaz:
“When you get people working together across different systems, you can drive meaningful change for women.”
35:35 – Jagoda Banovic:
“I am optimistic, because I think we’ve got some brilliant clinicians. I think our organisation, Dorset Health Care, really supports this piece of work and really supports the service. Fundamentally, it’s seeing how women move heaven and earth to care for their baby despite adversity. That really drives me.”
Transcript: Find the full transcript here. Please note, these notes are AI generated.