Freedom of Information request Bipolar Diagnosis and Specialist Care

Freedom of Information Request – Ref: FOI 062-2025

Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Please find our response below.

You asked:

1. The number of individual patients treated in your trust who are diagnosed, either as a primary diagnosis or a co-morbid diagnosis, with the following mental health conditions/available categorisation over the past five years/available time period:

– Psychosis / Schizophrenia / Schizo-Affective Disorder

– Treatment Resistant Depression

– Bipolar / Cyclothymia / Hypomania

– Eating Disorders

– EUPD/CEN

– Other

– Diagnosis not recorded

2. The total number of admissions in your trust involving the following mental health conditions/available categorisation, where individuals have been sectioned under the Mental Health Act over the past five years/available time period:

– Psychosis / Schizophrenia / Schizo-Affective Disorder

– Treatment Resistant Depression

– Bipolar / Cyclothymia / Hypomania

– Eating Disorders

– EUPD/CEN

– Other

– Diagnosis not recorded

Please see the responses to questions 1 and 2 on the links below:

FOI 062-2025 Response to question 1

FOI 062-2025 Response to question 2

You asked:

3. Does your trust have a specialist care pathway, such as EIP (Early Intervention in Psychosis), that provides treatment for the following conditions:

– Bipolar/Cyclothymia/Hypomania

– Psychosis/Schizophrenia/Schizo-Affective Disorder

– EUPD/CEN

– Treatment resistent depression

– Eating Disorders

Our response:

There are no defined clinical pathways for these conditions. They are complex and need to be person centred

You asked:

4. If ‘yes’, please describe these care pathways

Our response:

– Bipolar/Cyclothymia/Hypomania:

These conditions can be treated across a range of services from mental staff in primary care (MHICT and ARRS), through to specialist services in Recovery. Recovery is a MDT service with psychiatrists for prescribing and a range of interventions from Complex Psychological Therapies. These conditions usually respond well to medication prescribed by GPs or our psychiatrists. We have dedicated pharmacists to do de-prescribing and specialist advice.

– Psychosis/Schizophrenia/Schizo-Affective Disorder:

We are reviewing our pathways in line with national ‘Intensive and Assertive’ requirements. We have appointed a senior clinician as lead for psychosis. Pathway is treatment by an MDT in Early Intervention, Recovery and AOT. Medication includes depot and Clozapine as well as oral anti-psychotic. We have recently added the Engagement Scale to our clinical system. We use DIALOG to work collaboratively with service users on ‘My Care Plan’.

Early Intervention Service Care Pathways include:

Specialist Assessment and Care Coordination

CBT

Supported Employment and Education Programmes

Family Intervention

Carer Focussed Education

Physical Health Reviews

CBT for At Risk Mental State (ARMS Service)

– EUPD/CEN:

We have Open Access Therapy and Frequent user service. We have emotional skills groups, DBT skills and formulation from CEN team and CPI. We are introducing Structured Clinical Management within our Recovery Teams.

– Treatment resistant depression:

GP based clinicians, many of whom are Non-Medical Prescribers that can start anti-depressants. We have Talking Therapies, Recovery who have MDT including psychological interventions. We have an option for outpatient ECT in extreme circumstances.

– Eating Disorders:

Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder.

Treatments are:

For children and young persons: Adolescent CBTE and Family Based Treatment

For adults: CBTE, CBT10, Intensive Clinical Management

You asked:

5. If ‘yes’, please provide the estimated annual spend for said specialist care pathways for each year / available time period, providing the name of each service, from 2019 to 2025.

Our response:

Next steps:

Should you have any queries in relation to our response, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you are unhappy with the response you have received in relation to your request and wish to ask us to review our response, you should write to:

Louise Moss
Head of Legal Services / Associate Director of Corporate Governance
c/o Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Edward Jenner Court
1010 Pioneer Avenue
Gloucester Business Park
Brockworth, GL3 4AW
E-mail: louise.moss@ghc.nhs.uk

If you are not content with the outcome of any review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for further advice/guidance. Generally, the ICO will not consider your case unless you have exhausted your enquiries with the Trust which should include considering the use of the Trust’s formal complaints procedure. The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.