Issue - meetings

Dr Russell Razzaque, Consultant Psychiatrist and Associate Medical Director, North East London NHS Foundation Trust, will update the Committee on the results of the trial of Open Dialogue treatment (presentation attached).  

The Associate Medical Director at NELFT explained that Open Dialogue was a new technique that allowed people with mental health issues to be seen with their family or friends network. Use of the technique in areas such as Finland and the USA had seen considerable rises in discharge rates from mental health services.

NELFT had formed a coalition of Trusts to develop the technique in the UK, had organised training in Open Dialogue and had submitted a grant application for the evaluation of pilots of the technique that it planned to run in Havering and Waltham Forest. It was hoped that the funding would enable the largest single trial of Open Dialogue to be carried out.  It was hoped to evaluate outcomes of the technique over the next 3-4 years and show that Open Dialogue produced marked reductions in the relapse rate and hence that people would not need to return to mental health services. Confirmation of grant funding was hoped to be received by March with pilot teams starting work from mid-2017.

Havering and Waltham Forest had been chosen as pilot sites as on a clinical basis as consultants from these areas had expressed most interest in Open Dialogue. There had also been interest in Open Dialogue from clinicians in Essex but they were not directly involved in the research project. It was hoped to expand the technique into the Essex area in the future. Teams would be based in the Community Recovery Team offices but would also carry out home visits with a 24 hour target response time.

If the funding was not received, other sources of funds would be considered. It was also hoped that local CCGs would fund 1-2 consultant posts specialising in Open Dialogue. The Associate Medical Director would provide details of articles published on Open Dialogue.    

The Committee NOTED the update.