GPs will be able to support patients with difficult to treat depression through 7 new specialist clinics across the UK, widening access to clinical assessments and new treatments.
The NIHR and Office for Life Sciences (OLS) have invested £18 million into these clinics, delivered by the NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) Mood Disorders workstream as part of the Mental Health Goals programme.
This builds on an existing network of research clinics, including the Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre’s Treatment Resistant Depression Clinic, who work with world-leading researchers on depression.
7 new mood disorder clinics will be set up in:
· Bristol – Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
· Cambridge – Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
· Cardiff – National Centre for Mental Health
· Edinburgh – The Royal Edinburgh Hospital
· Glasgow – NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde
· North London – North London Mental Health Partnership
· Sheffield – Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
Professor Michael Browning, the Mood Disorders workstream co-lead and Professor of Computational Psychiatry at the University of Oxford, said:
“It is an exciting time in the treatment of mood disorders as there are several new interventions being developed. This includes new types of medication, therapy, and neurostimulation techniques. This additional funding will allow us to assess these new treatments quickly and reduce the time it takes for patients to access them. In some areas in the UK, there are currently no opportunities for patients to access mood disorder clinics. The locations of the new clinics will seek to redress this imbalance.”
Professor Rachel Upthegrove, Chair of NIHR MH-TRC, said:
“The expansion of existing centres of excellence in treating people with mood disorders, and the establishment of the new centres in areas where there has previously been little support, will mean there are more opportunities for people to access detailed assessments and potentially new treatments through participation in research.
“The funding also means that more people will have the opportunity to take part — this improves the research, makes results more representative, and can improve treatment options by uncovering new ways of managing serious illnesses. This is a fantastic investment in research and capacity that will really impact people’s lives.”
