Neuropsychiatry in Manchester
Neuropsychiatry is a highly specialised branch of medicine, which is focused on diagnosing and treating psychiatric complications of known or suspected neurological disease and acquired brain injury. There are currently 40-45 consultant Neuropsychiatrists practising in the NHS across the UK.
The Neuropsychiatry team in Manchester has one of the broadest clinical and geographical remits in the country thanks to it’s cutting edge diagnostics service and extensive collaborations across the Neurosciences centre and regional centres of excellence in Clinical Genetics, Oncology and Metabolic Medicine.
Tertiary outpatient clinics and Neuropsychiatry Liaison consultations on hospital wards take place at Salford Royal Foundation Trust. Specialist input is provided to the regional Huntington’s disease service at Manchester Royal infirmary led by Dr David Craufurd and the David Lewis Centre for Epilepsy in Cheshire. Both consultants undertake monthly sleep neurology clinics. Remote video consultations and peripatetic visits to District General Hospitals, Neurorehabilitation centres and Psychiatry inpatient units are considered for patients geographically distant to our base in Salford and when patients are too unwell to attend an outpatient appointment.
We accept and treat patients referred from across the UK.
The Neuropsychiatry Team
The Neuropsychiatry service in Manchester is led by Consultant Neuropsychiatrists Dr Rachel Thomasson and Dr Richard Hackett.
The consultants work flexibly as integral members of several multi-disciplinary teams (MDT), collaborating closely with Neurologists, Neurosurgeons, Neurorehabilitation consultants and Neuropsychologists across the Greater Manchester region.
Other key collaborators include our Neuro-oncologist colleagues at the Christie Hospital, clinicians based at the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine and the Mark Holland Metabolic Unit, and Specialist nurses working across Neurosciences.
Pathologies Treated
We have particular expertise in:
Assessment and management of neuropsychiatric complications of known or suspected neurological disease and acquired brain injury.
Undertaking diagnostic work where psychiatric presentations have atypical qualities and are suspected to be associated with organic disease. Common symptomatic presentations include hallucinosis, delusional beliefs, cognitive decline, Tic disorders and emergence of other atypical motor symptoms, mood disturbances and anxiety, apathy, challenging behaviour and episodes of altered responsiveness.
The range of conditions we regularly encounter include, but are not limited to:
• Acquired brain injury (trauma, hypoxia, metabolic insults, cerebrovascular disorders, neoplastic disease)
• Epilepsy
• Parkinson’s disease, Tourette syndrome, Huntington’s disease and other Movement disorders
• Inherited metabolic disorders
• CNS infection (examples include neuropsychiatric sequelae of HIV, meningitis and septicaemia)
• Neuroinflammatory disease (neuropsychiatric sequelae of CNS vasculitis, autoimmune encephalitis, Multiple Sclerosis and other systemic autoimmune diseases affecting the nervous system)
• Neurogenetic microdeletion and duplication syndromes; other inherited and de Novo gene mutations associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms and signs
• Neurological sleep disorders (hypersomnias, parasomnias, sleep related movement disorders, circadian rhythm disorders)
• Patients being considered for neurosurgical procedures requiring pre-surgical neuropsychiatric assessment
Clinical Pathways
We accept referrals from local, regional and national organisations across the UK for patients aged 16 years of age and above. GPs and consultants across medical and surgical specialties requiring a tertiary Neuropsychiatry opinion are welcome to refer. Our management team are able to advise on commissioning pathways for out of area referrals. Patients are usually seen in our outpatient clinics at Salford Royal Hospital but we are also able to discuss the option of a remote video consultation and/or peripatetic visits to other hospitals on a case by case basis. Clinicians based at Salford Royal Hospital are able to refer ward patients directly for inpatient consultations.
Investigations such as blood tests, physical observations and ECG are offered the same day as part of the outpatient appointment. We also offer a full range of neurological and sleep lab investigations where relevant as part of our diagnostics service. Patients are admitted to our day case investigation unit if a lumbar puncture, muscle biopsy or particular MR scanning arrangements are required. We also have video PSG facilities for overnight sleep studies.
Referral letters should be addressed to:
Neuropsychiatry team,
Department of Neurology,
Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences,
Salford Royal Hospital,
Stott Lane,
Salford,
Greater Manchester
M6 8HD
For advice and support regarding making a referral please contact our excellent departmental secretaries:
0161 206 2419 (Andrea Dodsworth)
0161 206 3124 (Christine Parry)
Research & Teaching
Dr Thomasson and Dr Hackett are actively involved in regional and national training initiatives for Psychiatrists and Neurologists in training. This has involved curriculum lead posts in Neurosciences, Liaison Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology for Health Education England’s Northwest School of Psychiatry and contributions to over 20 book chapters for medical textbooks for publishers such as Wiley-Blackwell and Cambridge University Press. The team offer a 12 month higher training post in Neuropsychiatry and weekly special interest sessions in 3-6 month blocks.
Dr Thomasson is the Royal College of Psychiatrist’s regional specialist representative for Neuropsychiatry in the Northwest of England, providing advice on recruitment and training. She is a member of the Neuropsychiatry curriculum working group, which is a collaborative project between the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Association of British Neurologists.
Medical students, junior doctors, psychiatrists and neurologists in training are welcome to contact the team to discuss attending clinics and/or getting involved in quality improvement and research projects.
Dr Thomasson and Dr Hackett also run a monthly interactive teaching session centered on case based learning. These are delivered virtually and NHS doctors of all grades are welcome to participate.
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