Devoted to bettering the evaluation and analysis of reminiscence issues, the Oxford Mind Well being Clinic makes use of leading edge expertise to supply detailed dementia assessments not often out there in routine NHS care.
This revolutionary and pioneering strategy has resulted in additional correct dementia diagnoses, recognized potential danger elements in sufferers to allow them to make way of life modifications, and, crucially, saves NHS medical doctors’ time. It has additionally improved affected person participation in analysis, with recruitment charges considerably larger than the nationwide common.
The Clinic, based mostly on the Warneford Hospital, was initially arrange as a pilot in August 2020 as a part of the Nationwide Institute for Well being and Care Analysis (NIHR) Oxford Well being Biomedical Analysis Centre, a partnership between the College of Oxford and Oxford Well being NHS Basis Belief.
Sufferers are invited to the clinic having been referred by their GP to native reminiscence clinics. Earlier than attending their native reminiscence clinic appointment, sufferers go to the Oxford Mind Well being Clinic for a sophisticated mind well being evaluation. This evaluation contains an MRI scan, a neuropsychological evaluation, medical questionnaires, and an interview with the affected person’s companion. These complete evaluations present detailed medical stories to assist medical doctors make a analysis.
Over the previous 5 years:
- 1 / 4 of Clinic sufferers could be eligible for additional investigation into new drug therapies. Greater than two thirds have danger elements (from depressive signs, BMI, bodily inactivity, sleep length, and alcohol consumption), which might be modified to assist handle their sickness.
- The Clinic workforce tailored and refined mind imaging strategies that had been used to scan 100,000 individuals for the UK Biobank to work for reminiscence clinic sufferers. These improvements are actually being utilized at different mind well being clinics.
- The Clinic has decreased the limitations for sufferers to take part in analysis, with greater than 90% of the Clinic’s sufferers (plus greater than 75% of their family members) selecting to contribute. Nationally, solely 2% of individuals with dementia have signed as much as hear about analysis alternatives, and only one% of those that might take part in a medical trial accomplish that, in line with Alzheimer’s Analysis UK.
Professor Clare Mackay, from the Division of Psychiatry on the College of Oxford, is the tutorial lead for the Oxford Mind Well being Clinic, and Theme Lead for Dementia on the NIHR Oxford Well being Biomedical Analysis Centre She stated:
For our analysis to supply the direct and speedy profit to sufferers that we’re seeing, it was vitally essential that the Mind Well being Clinic was correctly embedded into medical companies.
It’s making an actual distinction, not solely to the a whole lot of sufferers who come by means of our doorways and get the very best quality evaluation out there, but additionally to individuals throughout the UK liable to dementia, who profit from the analysis we’re in a position to perform consequently.
Having so many sufferers agreeing to be a part of wider analysis signifies that we’re discovering higher methods of stopping, diagnosing and treating dementia sooner. We’re massively grateful to our affected person contributors for being a part of this work and likewise the devoted workforce who’ve contributed to working the clinic over the previous 5 years.”
Dr Lola Martos, the medical lead from Oxford Well being NHS Basis Belief, stated: “The Mind Well being Centre has been a dream come true, not just for sufferers who profit from superior imaging and pioneering analysis alternatives, but additionally for medical doctors working straight with individuals liable to dementia.
“Earlier than the Clinic was launched, medical assessments in reminiscence clinics had not modified considerably for a few years. Now medical doctors in our reminiscence clinics get a transparent and detailed medical report to assist get probably the most correct analysis doable.”
Each affected person attending the clinic is given the chance to take part in analysis. They’ll consent to the storage of their anonymised medical information within the clinic’s analysis database, full extra analysis assessments, and select to be contacted about future analysis alternatives. Consequently, the contributors for this analysis are usually older and extra consultant of individuals liable to dementia, whereas contributors for many medical analysis are a lot youthful, and fewer prone to be related for age-related diseases.
Dr Isolde Radford, Senior Coverage Supervisor at Alzheimer’s Analysis UK, stated: “Reaching 500 sufferers is a big milestone for the Oxford Mind Well being Clinic, and a testomony to the dedication and compassion of its workforce. It is inspiring to see how the clinic is remodeling the expertise for individuals in search of solutions about their reminiscence issues.
“With demand for reminiscence assessments rising it’s important we construct on improvements like this to rework dementia analysis throughout the UK. Everybody residing with dementia deserves an early, correct analysis to get the solutions they want and the very best probability to learn from future therapies.
“Dementia is the best well being problem of our time, and revolutionary clinics like this present what’s doable. That’s why Alzheimer’s Analysis UK had been proud to assist arrange the Mind Well being Coalition UK, working alongside the Oxford Mind Well being Clinic and others. Collectively, greater than 100 healthcare professionals and researchers are discovering methods to make care higher for sufferers by bringing the most recent analysis into on a regular basis medical observe.”
Affected person and public involvement has been central to the Oxford Mind Well being Clinic to scale back the limitations for sufferers to take part in analysis. This has included co-producing patient-facing paperwork, dry runs of consent processes and totally different research procedures, and getting enter on disseminating findings and fascinating with the general public.
One participant, who didn’t wish to be named, stated: “It has been an honour to be a PPI contributor to Oxford Mind Well being Clinic. We’re handled as companions, and I’ve learnt a lot concerning the analysis course of. One significantly fascinating contribution was our involvement in a presentation to thank a bunch of sufferers who had been concerned in analysis. We had been ready to make sure that the language and visible aids used had been acceptable to this group. It was very satisfying to attend this presentation and realise that our feedback had been listened to and acted upon.”