Oxford launches UK's first first-episode psychosis clinic

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 1 Nov, 06:20 · Archive

The UK's first Baseline Biomarker Check clinic for first-episode psychosis has opened at Oxford Health's Warneford Hospital.

The UK's first Baseline Biomarker Check (BBC) clinic for first-episode psychosis has opened at Oxford Health's Warneford Hospital. The clinic aims to transform care and treatment for people experiencing psychosis for the first time by providing in-depth, personalised assessments.

Psychosis is a condition where a person has difficulty distinguishing between reality and their thoughts or perceptions, often experiencing hallucinations or delusions. The clinic brings together clinical interview, brain imaging, thinking and memory assessment, and neurological health checks in a single appointment to give clinicians a fuller picture early in a patient's care journey.

Patients referred through Oxford Health's Early Intervention in Psychosis service attend the clinic for a one-off, enhanced assessment. This includes an MRI brain scan, memory and thinking tests, a physical examination, and an in-depth discussion about their symptoms, health and background.

Dr Graham Blackman, consultant psychiatrist at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and BBC clinic lead, said: 'The new BBC clinic allows us to bring together a range of assessments in one place and at an early stage in a person's care.' The clinic has been developed with support from the National Institute for Health and Care Research Biomedical Research Centre (Oxford Health and Wellcome) and shaped by pilot work and feedback from people with lived experience of psychosis.

Oxford launches UK's first first-episode psychosis clinic — Image: Oxford Mail

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Oxford launches UK’s first clinic for first-episode psychosisThe UK’s first Baseline Biomarker Check (BBC) clinic is based at Oxford Health’s Warneford Hospital.Oxford Mail · 1 Nov, 05:00
Oxford launches UK’s first clinic for first-episode psychosisThe UK’s first Baseline Biomarker Check (BBC) clinic is based at Oxford Health’s Warneford Hospital.Oxfordshire Guardian · 1 Nov, 05:00

In this story: Oxford Health · Warneford Hospital · Dr Graham Blackman · Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust · National Institute for Health and Care Research · Oxford

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