A new clinic has opened in Peterborough to help people with mood disorders – by offering specialist assessments and access to new research.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT)'s Mood Disorders Research Clinic (MDRC) is a team of different health professionals specialising in mood disorders like depression and bipolar affective disorder, especially treatment-resistant depression, which can affect 30% of people with depression who don’t recover with standard therapies.

The clinic supports people aged 18+ across Peterborough and the wider area by providing comprehensive, evidence-based psychiatric assessments and guidance on future treatment.

A CPFT spokesperson explained: “They also offer opportunities to take part in a range of research projects to improve care for mood disorders, including pioneering innovative treatments and new therapies. The clinic connects local NHS patients to the latest breakthroughs and scientific discoveries in mental health research.”

The Mood Disorders Research Clinic Team (L-R) Aaron Bamford, Senior Administrator, Amy Chapman, Research Nurse, Dr Catherine Hatfield, Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinic Co-Lead with Dr Emanuele Osimo, Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinic Co-Lead.

placeholder image — The Mood Disorders Research Clinic Team (L-R) Aaron Bamford, Senior Administrator, Amy Chapman, Research Nurse, Dr Catherine Hatfield, Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinic Co-Lead with Dr Emanuele Osimo, Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinic Co-Lead.

The MDRC can provide specialist advice, assessment and research opportunities but is not an acute mental health care service for ongoing support, or urgent and emergency care. People referred to the clinic will remain under the care of their current clinician or GP. Anyone experiencing urgent mental health symptoms is advised to call 111 and follow the directions for urgent mental health support or call 999 if symptoms are life threatening.

Dr Emanuele Osimo, CPFT honorary consultant psychiatrist and co-lead for the MDRC said: “Our clinic offers a chance for people with hard-to-treat depression to help advance research by taking part in clinical trials for new treatments. Our research team is bringing some exciting studies to the Trust, including trials of innovative and completely new medicines. We look forward to working with people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to learn more about mood disorders and find new routes to recovery."

The clinic offers two locations for people to visit – at the Cavell Centre in Peterborough and the Herchel Smith Building in Cambridge. CPFT was awarded funding to run the clinic as a centre of excellence for mental health research in the east of England, and people around the region can benefit from this new specialist hub coordinating with the wider UK network on national mental health research programmes to tackle depression.

Emanuele added: “We welcome referrals from other CPFT services, and also self-referrals on our website with an NHS number. The clinic is most suitable for anyone over 18 living with depression, or a condition where depression is the main problem, who has not benefited from at least two treatments including medication, talking or physical therapies and may be interested in research. After receiving a referral, we will send some questionnaires and contact you to discuss whether our service is suitable or help you find the best mental health service for your needs. There is no obligation to take part in research, we will give you some options to consider and it is always your choice – you can leave a study at any time and continue with ongoing care from other services.”

The MDRC is hosted by CPFT working in partnership with the University of Cambridge and is part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) Mood Disorders Network.

Visit the Mood Disorders Research Clinic webpage to find out more and make a self-referral.