The NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) is a UK-wide network currently comprising eighteen centres of excellence. The MH-TRC delivers the NIHR and Office for Life Science (OLS) Mental Health Mission (MHM) which includes a focus on Early Psychosis (EP).
Psychosis affects over 8,000 people in England for the first time every year. People with psychosis can hear voices, have confused thoughts and lack motivation. They often withdraw from friends and family.
Discussions raised via the NIHR MH-TRC led to the creation of a national digital psychosis register and clinical decision support system known as EPICare (Early Psychosis Informatics into Care). The system aims to improve recovery for people with first episode psychosis and inform clinicians of how much progress a person is making.
The development of EPICare has involved various stages. The second stage is now funded through the Mental Health Mission which is being delivered through the MH-TRC. EPICare is currently being piloted and refined. There are plans for it to be used at the first site at Birmingham Women and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in May 2024.
