GPs will soon have access to additional support for patients with difficult-to-treat depression through seven new specialist clinics across the UK.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Office for Life Sciences (OLS) have invested £18 million into the centres where specialists will provide treatment recommendations to patients.
They are to be located in areas with the highest levels of depression in the UK, ensuring that communities most in need will benefit and expanding access to new depression treatments.
The centres will also focus on recruiting patients from diverse backgrounds into research trials.
Professor Michael Browning, co-lead of NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) mood disorders workstream, 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.’
The 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.
The clinics will build on an existing network of research clinics and will act as local hubs for expert clinical assessments and research studies.
Professor Rachel Upthegrove, chair of NIHR MH-TRC, said the investment in research and capacity offered improved access to 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,’ she said.
The initiative is part of the Mental Health Goals programme and the clinics will be delivered through the NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) Mood Disorders workstream.
