Media coverage

Our experts and services in the news

Working with the media is one important way we can help promote public awareness and understanding of mental health issues. Here are just a few examples in recent months when our experts have featured in the media. You can see the coverage highlighted by clicking on the links in blue. For media enquiries about our work contact the Communications and Media Department.

SLaM in Financial Times (30 December)
An article on page 2 of the Financial Times highlighted the Clinical Record Interactive Search (CRIS) - a technological application enabling researchers at the Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health to search 180,000 anonymous entries on SLaM's electronic patient records system at the touch of a button. The system allows researchers to test ideas more quickly and cost effectively, ultimately improving patient care and health outcomes.

Scan to detect Alzheimer's disease (8 December)
The Financial Times hosted a film on the front page of their website which featured the BRC for Mental Health's scan to detect Alzheimer's disease.  The scan is sited as an example of innovation in a film entitled 'Leading Pharma Innovation'.  A SLaM consultant is interviewed as are the CEOs of both Abbotts Laboratories and Bayer Healthcare and also the Chair of the Francis Crick Institute. David Cameron also features in the film.  See film on FT's website here.

My Childs Not Perfect (6 and 13 December)
SLaM's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) feature in My Child's Not Perfect - a two-part documentary on ITV 1 about children struggling with behavioural problems.  CAMHS Eating Disorders and Conduct Problems services helped two of the six young people and their families who feature in the programme.

SLaM's Perinatal (mother and baby) Unit (5 December)
Staff and former patients of the Perinatal Unit, Bethlem Hospital, featured on Radio 4 and the BBC News website.  The articles were on eight women who have suffered psychotic illnesses after childbirth and who took part in an art project to help in their recovery. Staff from the unit discussed treatment and explained more about the illness, which affects around 1000 women in the UK each year.

Health Service Journal awards (17 November)
A brain scan that can detect the early signs of dementia was Highly Commended in this year's Health Service Journal's awards. The scan was developed by the Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health - a partnership between SLaM and King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry.  The scan can return 85% accurate diagnostic results in under 24 hours and is being field tested in SLaM's four memory clinics.  The commendation came in the Improving Care with Technology category of this year's awards.  SLaM's Empowering Parents Empowering Communities project was also a finalist in the Enhancing Services for Children category.

Naloxone trial (16 November)
An article in the Nursing Standard (16 Nov) featured a large intervention study being carried out by the National Addiction Centre - a partnership between SLaM and the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London.   The study will investigate whether the large number of heroin overdose deaths that occur soon after release can be prevented by giving prisoners a take-home supply of the heroin antidote naloxone.  The article contrasted the trial with different approaches to using naloxone with newly released prisoners in Scotland and Wales.

Minister visits the Maudlsey Hospital (25 October)
Care Services Minister Paul Burstow MP visited the Maudsley Hospital before announcing a £32 million investment in psychological therapies, including talking therapies, for children and young people with mental health problems.  The first phase of the investment will focus on three large areas across England.

SLaM uses some innovative approaches to treat young people and the Minister spoke to some of the teams and service users involved. BBC London filmed the event and interviewed the Minister prior to his announcement. SLaM press release.

SLaM's Party Drugs Clinic (29 Sept 2011)
An inaccurate article in the Independent prompted the newspaper to publish a letter from Dr James Bell on SLaM's Party Drugs Clinic, which helps people suffering problems related to the use of drugs such as GBL or GHB, mephedrone, methamphetamine and ecstasy.  The service was also mentioned this week on the BBC and LBC radio, and also in the Guardian, Daily Mail, Evening Standard and the GP Newspaper.

Empowering Parents Empowering Communities (EPEC) (20 Sept 2011)
Key trade publication Children and Young People Now featured a detailed article on the results of the EPEC project, which trains local parents from Southwark as 'peer-facilitators'.  These parents then run parenting groups for hard-to-reach parents of children suffering mental health problems.  The article highlighted the 91% attendance rate among parents and the 'significant' improvements in child behaviour problems reported by parents at the end of the trial.  The project has also been shortlisted in this year's Health Service Journal Awards.

Mental healthcare and the Mental Health Act (8 Sept 2011)
SLaM contributed to a live debate on mental healthcare on BBC Radio 5 Live.  The programme featured Gail Porter, discussing her experience of mental health services, and an interview with a senior nurse at SLaM.  The subject achieved approx 40 minutes air time and included several more interviews with well-informed mental health professionals and ex-patients.  Overall, the article, and contributions, challenged the silence and stigma often surrounding mental health.

Preventing overdose deaths (31 August 2011)
Radio 4's PM programme featured a large intervention study involving 56,000 people in approx 20 prisons.  The study will investigate whether the large number of heroin overdose deaths that occur soon after release can be prevented by giving prisoners a take-home supply of the heroin antidote naloxone. Radio 4 'PM'

Research funding boost (18 August 2011)
The Guardian and Evening Standard reported on the Department of Health's research funding announcement. This includes £53m awarded to South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London. Guardian and London Evening Standard

24 hours in A&E (10 August 2011)
The final episode Channel 4's popular 24 Hours in A&E series focussed on mental health and the work of SLaM's mental health liaison team. The 14-part observational documentary series is set in Emergency Department at King's College Hospital and shows the day-to-day workings of the department and the interaction between staff and patients. The mental health liaison team is based in the department and sees approx 250-300 patients a month. See episode 14: Channel 4 on Demand

Empowering parents (12 July 2011)
Radio 4's 'All in the Mind' programme featured our Empowering Parents Empowering Communities (EPEC) project. EPEC trains local parents from Southwark as 'peer-facilitators' so they can run parenting groups for hard-to-reach parents of children suffering mental health problems. The project has led to a significant reduction in child-behaviour problems in Southwark and results compare favourably to interventions involving professional therapists. Radio 4 'All in the Mind' (item starts approx 7 minutes in)

Launch of Southwark and Lambeth Memory Service (7 July 2011)
The Southwark News featured two SLaM stories side by side.  The first covered the launch of the Southwark and Lambeth Memory Service, which was launched at an event on June 23.  The second story featured the Alzheimer's brain scan that can accurately diagnose the disease within 24 hours.  The scan is being 'field tested' in SLaM's memory clinics.

Substance misuse in older people (22 June 2011)
Interviews with SLaM consultant in old age psychiatry, Dr Tony Rao, featured extensively on the BBC.  Tony is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrist's (RCP) Working Group on Older People's Substance Misuse, which issued a report on the "growing problem" of drug and alcohol misuse among older people. The report warned that not enough is being done to tackle substance misuse in our aging population and made a series of key recommendations including that GPs screen over 65s for substance misuse and that government issues separate guidance on alcohol consumption for older people. Radio 4 'Today'

SLaM's partnership with Microsoft (24 May 2011)
The Guardian, Health Service Journal, South London Press and several other health and technical press featured SLaM's partnership with Microsoft to develop an online health record for people using mental health services, following a joint press release issued by both organisations. Through one of Microsoft's security-enhanced platforms, SLaM will enable clinicians and patients to work collaboratively on care and treatment by providing patients secure online access to their health records, including the facility to contribute to them directly. Guardian

Serious mental illness shortens lives (18 May 2011)
BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Radio 2's Breakfast Show and BBC Radio London  featured research on life expectancy and mental health from our National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre.  The research stated that people suffering serious mental illness can expect to live up to 18 years less than the national average. BBC News

Five-a-day for your mind (16 May 2011)
Our Mental Health Promotion experts (the team behind the mental well-being garden on this website) featured in the Daily Telegraph feature on the Mindapples "five-a-day for your mind" campaign. Daily Telegraph

Positive feedback from service user (11 May 2011)
The Guardian Society's top stories round up included the 'uplifting contribution from the Patient Opinion site, in which a service user hails the treatment she received from SLaM'. The patient stated that "... Their encouragement and care, the time they spend just talking with you, the things on offer to keep you occupied as well as the physical treatment, all conspired to make me a different person."

People are now able to log comments on Patient Opinion directly from the SLaM website - the first NHS trust in the country to do this.

Expert Carers Helping Others project (10 May 2011)
The Expert Carers Helping Others (ECHO) project, which is run by SLaM's eating disorders team, was featured in a 15 minute article on Radio 4's All in the Mind series.  The project recognises that the pressures of caring for someone with anorexia can lead to the formation of damaging patterns of behaviour.  The intervention seeks to help and support the carers - ultimately benefiting the person suffering an eating disorder.   The intervention is being trialled at hospitals across the country and the programme featured an interview with Prof. Janet Treasure. Radio 4 'All in the Mind'

Young black men urged to get help early (3 May 2011)
The South London Press featured the work of SLaM's Outreach and Support in South London team (OASIS). The resulting article highlighted the need for young black men experiencing mental health problems to seek help early and for family members concerned about a young male relative to call the team for help and advice.

Radio 4 with Southwark Home Treatment Team (7 April 2011)
Radio 4 spent a day with one of SLaM's Home Treatment Teams - speaking to both staff and patients.  The 30 minute 'day in the life' feature was the first of a mini series on 'the state of mental health'.  The programme reflected well on the service, aided in particular by the enthusiasm and professionalism of the staff involved.

Guardian mental health supplement (6 April 2011)
Our experts featured in the Guardian's special four-page mental health supplement looking at the new mental health strategy for England. Our Head of Mental Health Promotion Tony Coggins discussed mental health promotion and the wellbeing of the population and psychologist Dr Jerome Carson discussed recovery and mental health. Guardian mental well-being feature and Guardian recovery feature

Fast, accurate test for Alzheimer's (7 March)
Our work on developing a new brain scan to test for the early signs of Alzheimer's Disease received widespread media coverage. The scan was developed at our NIHR Biomedical Research Centre and can accurately detect the early signs of the disease from a routine clinical brain scan in less than 24 hours. BBC Radio 4 'Today', BBC News and Daily Telegraph

Ruby Wax discovers the funny side of her depression (4 Feb 2011)
Ruby Wax featured in South London Press after performing at both the Maudsley and Bethlem Hospitals.  The performances were warm ups of her new show 'Losing It' and were attended by over 200 SLaM members.

Why physical well-being is the forgotten casualty of mental illness (11 Feb 2011)
The Times featured a three-quarter page article on initiatives by King's Health Partners to treat physical and mental health conditions together.  Consultant psychiatrist Prof Matthew Hotopf highlighted the initiatives by describing the effect mental illness can have on physical health and life expectancy.

New Learning Centre (21 January)
The South London Press featured a story on proposals by SLaM Charitable Funds (the registered charity that manages SLaM's historical legacy and financial donations) for a new Learning Centre at the Maudsley Hospital.   The plans for the new building are to replace the existing Southwark Training Centre with a state-of-the-art flexible space fsuitable or today's multi-media learning and teaching methods.