Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation recommended by NICE for treatment of depression with minimal side-effects and a high patient acceptability. Our aim was to assess the effectiveness of rTMS in real world clinical service in alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety.

All patients receiving rTMS in our Centre for Neuromodulation Services (CNS) received 5 daily treatment sessions a week for a period of 5 weeks (25 sessions in total). All patients routinely completed PHQ-9, BDI-II and GAD-7 measures before and after the course of treatment. The scores on these measures were retrospectively analysed using paired-sample t-test.

All 15 patients completed the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales while 10 patients completed BDI-II. Eleven patients (73%) had improved PHQ-9 scores post-treatment with average improvement of 5.5 points which was statistically significant [paired-sample t-test: t(14) = 3.019, p = 0.009]. Nine patients (90%) had improved BDI-II scores post-treatment with average reduction of 36% from baseline which was statistically significant [t(9) = 3.681, p = 0.005]. Eleven patients (73%) had improved GAD-7 scores post-treatment, with average reduction of 4 points. This reduction was also statistically significant [t(14) = 3.038, p = 0.009]. Improvement in all measures was also of a level that would be considered clinically significant for these measures. All patients tolerated the treatment well with no patients dropping out due to side effects.

With the limitation of relatively small sample size, our initial analysis indicates that rTMS treatment offered in real world clinical service is effective in treating symptoms of depression. Although our protocol was not intended to treat anxiety, our patients had remarkable improvement in anxiety symptoms as well.

In the intensive care unit (ICU), delirium occurs in up to 80% of patients on mechanical ventilation. Delirium is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, long-term cognitive decline, and risk of reintubation. This initial audit aims to identify areas of improvement in the early detection, prevention, and management of delirium in the ICU of the general hospital following trust guidelines.

In this baseline audit, data was collected about all inpatients on admission over a 7-week period (81 patients in total). The parameters audited were in accordance with trust guidance on the management of delirium and compliance to this was recorded. Parameters included: the correct use and documentation of screening tools, type and cause of delirium, pharmacological and non-pharmacological management, and other demographics such as sensory impairment and length of stay. Confused patients handed over verbally during ward rounds were also assessed again at the time, with documentation and parameters reviewed.

Of the 81 inpatients in the ICU, 20 were observed with delirium during their stay. The documentation of delirium via the CAM-ICU screening tool was incorrect in 25% of patients with delirium (PWDs). Furthermore, behaviour (including sleep) was only monitored for 15% of PWDs and 0% had a complete “This is me” document (support tool for patient-centred care).

Sensory aids were not available for 50% of PWDs and 25% of this group had drug/alcohol dependence. A diagnosis of delirium was only formally documented in 40% of PWDs and of these, 15% had the type of delirium documented. Only 8 PWDs received a specific management plan, with 6 PWDs receiving haloperidol or lorazepam for agitation. Non-pharmacological managements were not documented.

The average length of stay in the hospital was 20% longer in PWDs compared with non-delirium patients, with 10 deaths in the ICU; 50% of these being PWDs.

There is a lack of accurate documentation and a lack of medical optimisation for PWDs, which may lead to missed delirium diagnosis, greater risk of mortality and longer hospital stays. The results highlight a need for further education about delirium in the ICU, to increase awareness for better detection, prevention and promotion of appropriate delirium management and formal documentation as per trust guidelines. Furthermore, a need to consider alternative pharmacological management for delirium, specifically in the ICU where lorazepam and haloperidol may not be suitable in consideration of anaesthetic drug interactions and respiratory support requirements.

Presentations of severe Eating Disorders (ED) to the Tertiary Eating Disorders Specialist Service (TESS) in Lanarkshire have increased in recent years. Our criteria has also expanded to include severe Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), increasing demand for a multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach for patients at high physical risk with less typical ED presentations. Medical Emergencies in Eating Disorders (MEED) recommends MDT working and development of pathways to support these patients.

The “EDIT subteam” was thus developed in March 2023, comprising: TESS psychiatrist, TESS GP, dietician, assistant practitioner, and TESS psychologist.

For TESS patients at high physical risk, high risk of hospitalisation, and who would benefit from a trial of “stepping up” treatment, we aimed to employ coordinated MDT intervention to 1. optimise community treatment, 2. regularly review risk and 3. reduce need for hospital admission.

Each patient was discussed at a weekly MDT meeting attended by EDIT subteam, where risk assessment and management plan was agreed.

6-month review was conducted using meeting minutes, staff survey and group discussion, with consideration given to: number of patients prevented from requiring hospital, number of patients admitted to hospital and consideration if different levels of intervention could have prevented this, staff satisfaction and review of the MDT complement.

22 patients – 17 female, 5 male – were included on EDIT for the first 6 months. At point of step-down from EDIT, 13 had ongoing TESS community input, 5 were admitted to hospital, 3 were discharged from TESS and 1 transferred to Community Mental Health Team.

Most EDIT patients received input from multiple domains of the MDT. Given baseline low admission rates and complexity of patient presentation, we were unable to determine how many hospital admissions were prevented, but consensus was that overall, a higher level of care was provided. It was not felt that different levels of intervention could have prevented any of the 5 admissions. Staff feedback was positive: EDIT improved communication, provided job role diversification, contained and shared risk, improved awareness of care plans and resulted in better-considered onward referrals.

Areas for improvement included a lack of Occupational Therapy and nursing, and concern about EDIT patients skipping waiting lists.

The EDIT subteam provides an avenue for high risk patients to be regularly discussed in an MDT setting – although impossible to empirically quantify if admissions were reduced, consensus within TESS was that the introduction of EDIT has improved community treatment for this group of patients.

Lithium is licensed to treat bipolar disorder, which is characterized by recurrent episodes of depression and mania/hypomania. It is also used as an adjunctive medication in patients who have inadequately responded to first and second line treatments of unipolar depression. Lithium has a narrow therapeutic index and the potential for toxicity requires levels to be closely monitored, particularly during any intercurrent illness or initiation of new medications. There is a rare but important effect of lithium toxicity of which there is little awareness: the Syndrome of Irreversible Lithium Effectuated Neurotoxicity.

A 57-year-old lady presented to the emergency department with a ten-day history of vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain. She had a history of recurrent depressive disorder managed with fluoxetine and lithium for ten years. On presentation, she was hypovolemic and required resuscitation with I.V. fluids. Clinical examination revealed significant ataxia and myoclonus. Neurological examination was limited by her inability to follow commands. She was orientated to person but not time or place. A collateral history was obtained from her husband. He reported a 3-day history of increasing confusion on a background of a 6-week history of gradual functional decline. History and examination were concerning for lithium neurotoxicity. Lithium level = 2.6mmol/L (0.4–0.8mmol/L), indicating lithium toxicity. Deterioration in renal function from baseline - urea 14.2, creatine level 120 umol/L eGFR 43mil/min. There was no evidence of infection, full blood count and CRP were within normal parameters. MRI brain showed mild degree global volume loss consistent with chronic small vessel microvascular ischaemia. She was commenced on haemodialysis in order to rapidly reduce her serum lithium levels.

Lithium levels post haemodialysis were 1.2mmol/L and within days fell to <0.4mmol/L. Further lithium treatment was held during admission, but she continued to exhibit signs of neurotoxicity. Two weeks post-admission her confusion persisted (MOCA 13/30). She remained tremulous and ataxic. A diagnosis of Syndrome of Irreversible lithium-effectuated neurotoxicity (SILENT) was made. She required intensive physiotherapy and occupational therapy input. 8 weeks post admission she had returned to her cognitive baseline and was mobilising independently.

SILENT syndrome is a rare consequence of lithium toxicity secondary to elevated lithium levels in the central nervous system which if sustained it is thought can lead to cerebellar demyelination as was evidenced in this case by our patient's symptoms. The insidious onset of her lithium toxicity in the community led to a prolonged period of toxicity that went undetected. No clear precipitating factor was identified. Vigilance is required for toxicity and this case highlights the importance of family members being aware of the signs. A patient when confused may no longer be able to advocate clearly for themselves or seek appropriate medical attention. The patient also delayed consulting with her GP as her GP practice was located an hour and a half from her home and she could not secure an appointment during the summer months. Patients prescribed lithium require timely access to GPs for monitoring and consultations. Despite her experience with toxicity, the patient opted to restart lithium due to a recurrence of depressive symptoms. She is adhering to close monitoring of serum lithium levels. The patient and her family received thorough psycho-education regarding symptoms and signs of lithium toxicity.

Suicide is a serious global public health concern. Most suicide related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Pakistan. Self-harm is a major predictor of death by suicide and has cost implications both in terms of treatment and subsequent suicide. Therefore, culturally relevant interventions that have the potential to reduce self-harm in Pakistan may have major implications for the costs incurred by service provision and productivity losses due to illness or premature death. This trial investigated the clinical and cost effectiveness of the CMAP intervention verses enhanced treatment as usual (E-TAU) to reduce self-harm over 12 months in Pakistan.

Participants were recruited from emergency departments, primary care settings, medical units of participating hospitals and self-referral from community settings in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Quetta and Peshawar. Eligible consented participants were assessed at baseline, 3- (end of intervention), 6-, 9- and 12-month post-randomization. Participants in the intervention arm received 6 one-to-one sessions of culturally adapted manual assisted psychological intervention (CMAP) over 3 months. The Client Service Receipt Inventory was used to record health service utilization, both formal and informal. Health related quality of life was measured using the EQ-5D-3L. The Thailand tariff value set (developed by the EuroQol Organization) was used to calculate quality-adjusted life year (QALY) because Thailand was deemed similar to Pakistan. The Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio (ICER) was calculated based on between arm differences in estimated cost and Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) gains in the sampled population. Costs were converted to US dollars using the currency exchange rate on February 2024 (US$1 = PKR276)

A total of 901 participants were randomized into either the CMAP arm (n = 440) or E-TAU arm (n = 461). Total QALY gained in the CMAP arm was 0.40 (95% CI: 0.36–0.45) and in the E-TAU arm was 0.33 (95% CI: 0.30–0.38) at 12-month post-randomization. The additional QALY gained due to CMAP intervention is 0.07. The difference in costs per participant between CMAP and TAU arms was US$59. The ICER for the CMAP versus E-TAU was US$843 per QALY gain.

Results revealed that the CMAP intervention is likely to be cost-effective compared with the E-TAU, given the cost-effectiveness threshold. These findings suggest that implementing culturally relevant self-harm and suicide prevention measures such as CMAP can lead to significant societal cost savings by preventing self-harm and suicides.

The aim of our quality improvement project was to explore and improve care for patients who use sensory aids, with or without dementia, on an old age ward at King's College Hospital. We sought to do this by increasing the staff awareness of each patient's sensory needs and dementia status.

Guidelines state that sensory aids (glasses and hearing aids) are important in orientating patients with delirium and dementia, yet these devices frequently go missing during admission or are not being used appropriately. This could affect communication and therefore overall care, both physical and mental. It is widely understood that delirium and dementia are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In this project we aimed to explore issues around sensory aid use and to identify and implement impactful changes.

2 Plan, Do, Study, Act cycles were conducted between October 2022 to February 2023. A driver diagram was created following staff interviews on the ward. The first cycle focused on increasing awareness of a form in electronic patient records (EPR) and the need for documenting each patient's sensory aid possessions and dementia status. This was done through bite-size teaching sessions to the team and monitoring of completion of this form. The second cycle included utilising a new laminated bedside checklist that is manually filled in and was aimed to serve as a visual cue of the patient's sensory impairment/dementia status. A survey was used at baseline and then repeated over the course of both cycles to evaluate awareness of staff (named nurse) of each patient's sensory impairment/dementia status on the ward.

Baseline survey showed that staff were unsure of the sensory aid needs (glasses, hearing aids, dentures) of 25% of patients and 46.7% when it came to dementia status. EPR form completion increased by 14% between 14/12/22 and 25/01/23, however this was not statistically significant. 18% of bedside checklists were filled after 4 weeks. Overall, there was a statistically significant decrease in staff not knowing the sensory impairment status (by 32%) as well as dementia status (by 40%).

Whilst uptake of the forms and bedside checklist was slow, the project did show an improvement in awareness of staff and our hypothesis is that this leads to better use of sensory aids. The next step would be to assess whether this leads to better care through further PDSA cycles.

Copy number variants (CNVs) are large changes in the structure of DNA. Certain rare CNVs are associated with elevated chance of neurodevelopmental conditions and difficulties (NDs), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability, alongside various physical health complications. Currently, CNV testing in children with NDs is only recommended under limited circumstances, in part because their impact on outcomes and prognosis remains unknown. We aimed to investigate whether individuals with NDs in childhood, with and without rare pathogenic CNVs, differ in terms of functional outcomes in early adulthood.

Pathogenic CNV carriers were identified in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a UK birth cohort of individuals born in 1991–1992. Individuals with the following childhood NDs were identified through parent-reported diagnostic interviews and questionnaires, and assessment with the child: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity-Disorder (ADHD), ASD, reading difficulties, coordination difficulties, language difficulties, and chronic tics. Outcomes were measured at age 25 and included: presence of an emotional disorder, being in receipt of sickness/disability benefit, ability to make and maintain friendships, not being in education, employment, or training (NEET), and self-reported life satisfaction. We will use logistic regression to measure the association between carrying a pathogenic CNV and each functional outcome in ALSPAC. Sensitivity analyses will be conducted on all large (>250kb), rare (<1%) CNVs, as opposed to only pathogenic CNVs.

983 individuals with probable NDs (39.4% female, n = 387) were identified in ALSPAC, including 495 people with ASD, 163 with ADHD, 16 with Tourette's syndrome, 210 with reading difficulties, 295 with language difficulties, and 166 with coordination difficulties. Many individuals met criteria for more than one ND.

43 (4.4%) of individuals with an ND carried a pathogenic CNV. CNV carrier status amongst individuals with a ND was not associated with sex (4.4% of females vs 4.4% of males, OR = 1.007 [0.539–1.882] p = 0.981). Analysis of CNV carrier status on outcomes in NDs will be conducted between February and April 2024.

Evidence in support of poorer outcomes in CNV carriers could suggest that neurodiverse young people with CNVs may benefit from intervention to improve outcomes, and thus more individuals may benefit from genetic testing. Conversely, evidence indicating that CNVs do not impact outcomes may suggest that current clinical guidelines are appropriate within the current research landscape, and that further research is needed to understand the impact of carrying a pathogenic CNV in young people with NDs.

This research study aims to identify the adverse effects of alcohol and polysubstance misuse on kidneys. The study also highlights the hidden harm caused by prescribed treatments such as PPI (Proton Pump Inhibitors) and other medications.

The study was conducted in the summer of 2022 at an outpatient addiction treatment service. 63 patients (10% of the total prescribers), 49 males and 14 females participated in the study. All participants gave their consent, and data were collected including demographic details, substance misuse history, physical and mental health history, and prescribed treatments. We used a Combur-7 urinary dipstick to analyze the results provided in the kit.

Seven patients were not able to provide a sample. 60/63 patients' result showed abnormalities.

21 out of the 63 samples appeared dark and hazy. 7 samples were foul-smelling. 40 of the 63 patients were detected with a variable amount of leukocytes. 1 of the 63 patients was positive for nitrogen. The pH values range from 5 to 8. Specific gravity values were variable. 3/63 samples were positive for bilirubin. 58/63 samples were positive for protein. 19/63 samples detected variable amounts of red blood cells. 5/63 samples detected for ketones and glucose were negative in all samples.

Long-term alcohol abuse can compromise the ability to manage fluid volume and electrolyte balance. Extreme serious abuse can also impact acid-base balance, homeostasis, and even hormonal control regulated by the kidneys could be affected. This situation further complicates the presence of liver disease.

Cocaine abuse can cause acute kidney injury (AKI), malignant hypertension, and vasculitis and can lead to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Heroin-associated nephropathy (HAN) can lead to nephrotic syndrome and could progress to end-stage renal failure.

Tobacco, solvents, amphetamines, and ecstasy can aggravate a wide range of kidney diseases by their direct or indirect effect on kidney functions.

Long-term use of proton pump inhibitor and other medications such as NSAID, pregabalin, and diuretics, may affect kidney functions.

The Opiate substitute treatment dose needs to be adjusted in the presence of poor kidney functions to reduce morbidity and mortality. Early screening is required for all patients on long-term OST and other medications for comorbid illnesses.

The neuropsychiatric morbidities associated with post-COVID status are important public health issues. The range and severity of morbidity varies with the type of clinical setting and time of assessment. There are limited studies on the long-term persistence of the post-COVID neuropsychiatric symptoms (PCNS). Hence, this study aims to determine the proportion of persistent PCNS after approximately 2 years of COVID and to find any risk factors for persistent PCNS.

This study was a cross-sectional study of randomly selected 2,281 individuals aged 18–60 years, currently living in the community, who were RT-PCR positive for COVID-19 from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) laboratory (at least 4 weeks before intake) from a period of 1 June 2020 to 31 March 2022. Among them, 927 individuals who met the study criteria were screened for PCNS through telephone interviews using a validated PCNS screening tool comprising sociodemographic details, life events inventory and 20 questions to assess for PCNS. 196 individuals who came positive for PCNS were further evaluated by in-person or web-based interviews with Structured Clinical Interviews for DSM–5-Research Version and World Health Organization-Post-COVID Case Report Form for persistent PCNS. Descriptive statistics, Chi2 test, Mann–Whitney U Test, and Binary logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis. The Institutional Ethics Committee approved this study.

The median age of study participants was 34 years, and 51.3% were female. 68 out of 196 participants (34.7%) had persistent PCNS approximately 2 years (23.84 months) after COVID-19 infection. Chronic fatigue (10.2%), depression (6.1%), cognitive symptoms (4%), hyposmia (3.6%), hypogeusia (3.6%), anxiety (2.5%), panic disorder (2.5%) and insomnia (2%) are the main persistent symptoms. The median age of the participants with persisted PCNS (40 years) is higher compared with the median age of the participants without persisted PCNS (34 years) [Mann–Whitney U = 5,225.0, P = 0.021]. Even though significant associations were found between the development of PCNS after 4 weeks of COVID and female gender, symptomatic COVID-19, severity of COVID-19 (oxygen supplementation), hospital admission, total number of times of COVID-19, and presence of life events, this association were not found with persistence of PCNS at 2 years.

This study revealed that one-third of the individuals with PCNS had persistent symptoms after 2 years. Chronic fatigue is the most common persistent PCNS. Middle-aged and above age groups were found to be a risk factor for persistent PCNS.

The liaison psychiatry team at North Middlesex Hospital (NMH) noticed that many patients on clozapine were missing doses in hospital, risking the need for re-titration and deterioration in mental state. Although clozapine is a widely used medication in psychiatry, non-psychiatric clinicians may not be aware of the importance of compliance. In addition, clozapine is often not widely available in acute medical hospitals and ascertaining the correct dosage can be difficult as it is not prescribed by the GP. Furthermore, clozapine can cause a variety of side effects that our medical colleagues may not be familiar with.

The aim of this project was to improve clozapine prescribing at NMH and improve communication with the liaison psychiatry team.

We reviewed the notes of 97 admissions in which patients were dispensed clozapine from the hospital pharmacy during the period April 2020 to December 2023 to determine what proportion had missed a dose of clozapine, and the clinical implications of this. We also reviewed the reasons for the missed doses to gather information on what could be done to improve patient safety.

From July 2022 we began implementing changes. This included the creation of a hospital guideline, putting in place an automatic email that would be sent to the liaison team when clozapine was prescribed, placing an alert on the online prescribing system to emphasise the importance of not omitting doses, and providing teaching to clinicians.

We compared omissions of clozapine doses and referrals to the liaison team before and after changes were implemented. The percentage of patients inappropriately missing at least one dose fell from 67.4% to 31.1%. The proportion of patients who were referred to the liaison team rose from 40.8% to 89.2%.

We identified several recurring causes of missed doses. These included doctors not being aware of clozapine prescriptions or dosages, poor awareness that clozapine is a critical medicine and long stays in accident and emergency. There were also incidents where clozapine was stopped by the medical team without obtaining advice from psychiatric colleagues.

We were able to reduce the proportion of patients missing doses by improving awareness of clozapine compliance within the hospital. We were also able to improve communication between medical and psychiatric teams.

The clozapine guideline and prescribing alerts will continue to be utilised within the hospital. We plan to continue to provide regular teaching to rotational junior doctors and to pursue a similar project for lithium prescribing.

• • To find out the proportion of patients for whom the dates of births of their children, age and their due date were recorded during their initial assessment as a means of reducing risks through safeguarding.

• • According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists: Standards for Community Perinatal Mental Health Services 5th Edition (2020), Under Section 5 – Rights, Infant Welfare and Safeguarding: during the initial assessment, the baby's age and date of birth and mother's due date should be recorded as part of the infants' physical and emotional care needs assessment.

• • All new patients discussed during multidisciplinary team meetings within a 2 month period from 01/08/2023 to 30/09/2023 were identified

• • Their clinical records were audited.

• • This information was cross-checked with the information provided on their referral letters.

• • Patients attending preconception counselling were excluded.

• • The initial results were presented in one of the multidisciplinary team meetings.

• • The recording of the children's ages, date of birth or due dates of their mothers was re-audited two months later.

Audit

• • A total of 70 new patients were discussed within the initial two months period.

• • 25 out of the 70 (36%) did not attend their appointments and two patients (3%) cancelled their appointment.

• • 1 patient who attended for preconception counselling was excluded.

• • Of the remaining 42 patients that were assessed, 6 (14%) were primigravida while 36 (86%) patients were multiparous patients.

• • 15 out of the 42 (36%) had their children's age, dates of birth and due date recorded while 27 out of the 42 (64%) lacked this record.

Re-audit

• • A total of 65 patients were identified during the re-audit period

• • 18 out of the 65 patients (28%) did not attend their appointment and one patient cancelled her appointment.

• • One patient that attended for preconception counselling was excluded from the re-audit process.

• • Of the remaining 45 patients that were assessed, 2 (4%) were primigravida and the remaining 43 (96%) were multiparous women.

• • The age, dates of birth and the due date were recorded for 26 (58%) out of 45 patients while 19 out of the 45 patients (42%) did not have this record.

• • The children's ages were commonly recorded compared with their date of birth.

• • Gestational ages of the pregnant mothers were commonly recorded compared with their due dates.

• • Date of birth is needed for a quick check on a child for safeguarding reasons and this is useful during the admission of mothers onto a mother and baby unit.

• • The re-audit showed a significant improvement in the documentation of this information in the patients' records.

This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR) psychotherapy delivered by Core Psychiatry Trainees (CPTs) within the Sheffield Specialist Psychotherapy Service; a regional tertiary psychotherapy service for people with complex trauma and personality difficulties.

STAIR is a manualised evidence-based skills-based psychotherapy for people with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (cPTSD) awaiting trauma processing that is deliverable by a range of qualified and non-qualified staff. It was introduced to address two key difficulties the service faces: a long waiting list for trauma processing potentially contributes to patient deterioration, and a difficulty in identifying suitable cases for CPT short psychotherapy case requirements given the majority of potential patients awaited longer term psychotherapy.

A modified STAIR protocol was developed to meet the requirements of CPTs.

A 1-year prospective evaluation was used to compare pre and post patient reported outcome measures. These include the Nine item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9) for depression symptoms, Impacts of Events Scale Revised (IES-R) for trauma symptoms, Recovering Quality of Life – 10 question (ReQoL-10) for quality of life, and the Short form Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-32) for relational symptoms. Descriptive statistics were used and data analysed using repeated measure t-tests.

17 patients completed STAIR delivered by CPTs. There was statistically significant mean improvement in Quality of Life (p = 0.001), trauma symptoms (p = 0.009) and depression symptoms (p = 0.019). Mean ReQoL-10 and IES-R improvements additionally met criteria for reliable change. There was non-significant (p = 0.0146) improvement in relational symptoms measured by IIP-32.

This evaluation demonstrates promising patient outcomes from STAIR delivered by CPTs for people with Complex PTSD awaiting trauma processing. This may help both negate any potential deteriorations whilst awaiting therapy, as well as prepare patients. Further evaluations could focus on acceptability and outcomes for CPTs.

Whilst the nature of this small evaluation limits further interpretation and generalisability, this pathway offers a promising means of meeting CPT psychotherapy competencies whilst also improving outcomes for patients.

Our aim was to evaluate the extent to which the risk assessment protocol post self-harm incidents for patients aged over 65 at the Black Country Healthcare Trust is aligned with the recommendations set forth in the NICE Guideline (NG225). We specifically sought to determine whether safety plans are incorporated as recommended by the NICE Guideline (NG225), and in the absence of a distinct safety plan, whether essential components of such a plan are integrated within the risk assessment framework utilised following episodes of self-harm.

A retrospective audit was conducted utilizing data from the trust on self-harm incidents over a six-month duration. Of the 1,408 recorded incidents, 68 involved individuals aged 65 years or older. A sample of 30 incidents was randomly selected from this cohort to constitute the target sample for this study. Each case was anonymized with a unique identifier and subjected to a comprehensive review employing a bespoke data collection instrument, expressly developed for this audit. The review process was facilitated by the trust's digital record system (RIO). Data collated for analysis encompassed a range of variables, including demographic details, diagnostic classifications, geographical location, care setting, self-harm methodologies, the severity of the self-harm events, the origin of data, and compliance with the stipulated criteria of the NICE Guidance (NG225).

Comprehensive safety plans were present in a minority of cases, specifically 6.7% (2 out of 30 patients). The documentation of individual components of the safety plan, analysed separately, yielded the following results:

1. 1. Documentation of self-harm mechanisms was achieved in 70% of cases (21/30).

2. 2. Identification of precipitants or triggers was noted in 56.7% of cases (17/30).

3. 3. The formulation of coping strategies was documented in 20% of the sample (6/30).

4. 4. The enumeration of essential contacts was completed in 33.3% of cases (10/30).

5. 5. The identification of family members pertinent to the patient’s support network was noted in 33.3% of cases (10/30).

6. 6. The inclusion of contact details for these identified individuals was present in 30% of cases (9/30).

7. 7. Guidelines to ensure a safe environment were applicable and recorded in 38.9% of the relevant cases (7/18).

The majority of patients did not have a safety plan post self-harm incidents. Notwithstanding the absence of a comprehensive safety plan, critical elements prescribed by NICE Guidance (NG225) were insufficiently addressed within the risk assessment and subsequent management planning post self-harm.

To compare receipt of acute cardiac care in people with versus without severe mental illness (SMI) and investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on any differences in care. We hypothesised that, compared with those without SMI, patients with an SMI are less likely to receive guideline recommended acute cardiac care and that disparities worsened as a result of the pandemic.

We conducted a cohort study using data from the CVD-COVID-UK resource, which links electronic health data from multiple sources. Our cohort included 95,125 adults with a non-ST-elevation MI (NSTEMI) recorded in the Myocardial Infarction National Audit Programme (MINAP) dataset between 1 November 2019 and 31 March 2022. We defined SMI as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders or bipolar disorder (BD), ascertained through recorded diagnosis in primary care or hospital admission records. We examined receipt of cardiac care standards for NSTEMI, including: admission to a cardiac ward; angiogram eligibility; receipt of angiogram (in those eligible); angiogram within 72 hours; secondary prevention medication prescribing at discharge, and arrangement of post-discharge cardiac rehabilitation. We used logistic regression to obtain odds ratios (ORs) for the association between SMI and receipt of each care indicator, adjusting for age, sex and time period. We tested for an interaction between SMI and time period in order to determine if any disparities had changed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Within our cohort, 620 patients (0.6%) had schizophrenia and 575 (0.6%) had BD. Compared with people without SMI and after adjusting for age, sex and period, patients with an SMI were less likely to receive each of the cardiac care standards. For example, compared with those without SMI, those with SMI were less likely to: be admitted to a cardiac ward (schizophrenia: OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.61–0.85; BD: 0.74, 95% CI 0.63–0.88); be eligible for an angiogram (schizophrenia: 0.37, 95% CI 0.29–0.47; BD: 0.52, 95% CI 0.40–0.68); receive an angiogram (schizophrenia: 0.22, 95% CI 0.18–0.28; BD: 0.51, 95% CI 0.39–0.66); and receive an angiogram within 72 hours (schizophrenia: 0.71, 95% CI 0.56–0.90); BD: 0.80, 95% CI 0.64–1.00). We generally found no evidence that disparities had changed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We identified marked SMI disparities in receipt of acute cardiac care among people treated in hospital for a NSTEMI. Further research should seek to identify reasons for, and inform interventions to, address these disparities.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the prevalence and factors of depression among the elderly population, a significant issue in Korea's aging society. By doing so, we aim to provide basic indicators for improving mental health and quality of life while efficiently managing healthcare costs.

From February to December 2021, a study was conducted on a population of 19,158 elderly individuals aged 65 and above residing in Gyeongsangbuk-do province. The severity of depression was evaluated using the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9, which was adapted for use as a depression screening tool in clinical settings. In addition, demographic information such as place of residence, age, gender, and education level was collected to analyze factors that may influence depression. The data were analyzed using cross-analysis, two independent sample t-tests, one-way ANOVA, multiple regression analysis, and Scheffe's post-hoc analysis.

In the PHQ-9 screening, the average score of the elderly population was 3.65. The results showed that 13,705 individuals (71.5%) were in the normal group with scores ranging from 0 to 4, 3,683 individuals (19.2%) were in the mild group with scores ranging from 5 to 9, 1,575 individuals (8.2%) were in the moderate group with scores ranging from 10 to 19, and 195 individuals (1.0%) were in the severe group with scores of 20 or higher. It was found that place of residence, education level, type of housing, top two difficulties in daily life, subjective economic status, desired services, subjective mental health, past and current history of mental health treatment, and medication for physical illness had statistically significant (*p < 0.05) effects on depression.

Various factors were found to have a significant impact on depression among the elderly population in Gyeongsangbuk-do. Proactive prevention and treatment tailored to the population characteristics of the region may be necessary.