Dedicated to improving the assessment and diagnosis of memory problems, the Oxford Brain Health Clinic uses cutting edge technology to offer detailed dementia assessments not usually available in routine NHS care.
This innovative and pioneering approach has resulted in more accurate dementia diagnoses, identified potential risk factors in patients so they can make lifestyle changes, and, crucially, saves NHS doctors’ time. It has also improved patient participation in research, with recruitment rates significantly higher than the national average.
The Clinic, based at the Warneford Hospital, was initially set up as a pilot in August 2020 as part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, a partnership between the University of Oxford and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.
Patients are invited to the clinic having been referred by their GP to local memory clinics. Before attending their local memory clinic appointment, patients go to the Oxford Brain Health Clinic for an advanced brain health assessment. This assessment includes an MRI scan, a neuropsychological assessment, clinical questionnaires, and an interview with the patient's companion. These comprehensive evaluations provide detailed clinical reports to help doctors make a diagnosis.
Over the past five years:
- A quarter of Clinic patients would be eligible for further investigation into new drug therapies. More than two thirds have risk factors (from depressive symptoms, BMI, physical inactivity, sleep duration, and alcohol consumption), which could be modified to help manage their illness.
- The Clinic team adapted and refined brain imaging techniques that were used to scan 100,000 people for the UK Biobank to work for memory clinic patients. These innovations are now being applied at other brain health clinics.
Read the full story on the Department of Psychiatry website.