DOCTORS' orders issued in the North-East to help mentally ill patients lose weight are being adopted nationally.
Psychiatrists Dr Helen Oatway, Dr Angus Bell and Dr Marion Michie, from Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust, discovered that patients taking anti-psychotic drugs often suffered weight gain as a side-effect.
Rather than offer more medication to combat the side-effect, staff at Newlands mental health resource centre, in Redcar, set up a group to tackle weight gain through diet advice and group gym sessions. The idea proved so successful it was introduced to patients at St Luke's Hospital, in Middlesbrough.
International drug company Eli Lilly has used some of the trust's concepts in its Well-Being Support Programme, which has eight pilot sites across the country to improve the health of people with severe mental illness.
Dr. Oatway said: "I am delighted to see the drug company develop the Well-Being Support Programme, pick up on the work we did, and launch this national project.''
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article