Before any kind of treatment for OCD can commence you the first place you should visit is your GP. A good GP will refer you to an local mental health unit where you are likely to be seen by an appropriate psychologist or psychiatrist who will ensure correct diagnoses and a course of treatment.
Due to the immense shortage of trained CBT therapists on the NHS, waiting times can very from 6 weeks to 2 years!
It is also fair to say that in some areas of the country there are no services available for OCD. In such circumstances you can request a referral to the National Anxiety Disorders clinic for OCD which is based at the Maudsley Hospital in London.
In 2007, the government announced funding to these specialist units through the Department of Health, National Commissioning Group (NCG). In short, what this means is that severe cases of OCD can now be funded from the Department of Health rather than through local primary care trusts, which have often delayed or prevented treatment due to budget considerations.
Centre
for Anxiety Disorders
99 Denmark Hill
Maudsley Hospital
LONDON
SE5 8AZ
Telephone: 020 7919 2101
Getting a referral to the 'Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma National
OCD Service' can be difficult due to hospital politics. There are various
referral routes to the service, but it does depend on your GP’s
registered address and the service agreements the Maudsley Hospital has
agreed with your local Primary Care Trust (PCT). From a very small amount
of areas they can receive a referral direct from your GP. However, for
the majority of areas the referral must come to via your local CMHT.
For those patients who fail to respond to outpatient treatment locally
then a referall to the Behavioural Cognitive Psychotherapy Unit (BCPU)
at Springfield University Hospital may be considered. The Behavioural
Cognitive Psychotherapy Unit (BCPU), the headquarters of South West London
and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, is an internationally renowned
treatment centre dealing with severe, complex, resistant obsessive-compulsive
disorder (OCD). The unit is affiliated with St George’s, University
of London. It is a unique resource within the NHS offering specialised
24-hour inpatient treatment of OCD for patients who have failed to respond
to
treatment from their local services.
More details can be found on the units information sheet PDF (59kb)
Referrals should be made to:South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust
The BCP Unit
White Lodge
Springfield University Hospital
61 Glenburnie Road
London
SW17 7DJ
Telephone: 0208 682 6961
For young people under 18 and their families there is a specialist unit specifically just for young people affected by OCD at the Maudsley Hospital in the 'Michael Rutter Centre'. They see young people and their families for assessment and treatment. They also see young people with tic disorders, including Tourette's Syndrome, and other conditions related to OCD. The team usually accept referrals at a second opinion level.
Michael
Rutter Centre for Children and Adolescents
Maudsley Hospital
Denmark Hill
LONDON
SE5 8AZ
Telephone: 020 7740 5222
Getting NHS funding for private services in OCD and BDD
1) See your GP and seek a referral for an assessment to your community mental health team.
2) Your community mental health team will assess and will usually offer treatment locally.
3) If this is unsuccessful then they may consider other alternatives
such as a referral to the Special Care Clinic at the Maudsley. Getting
funding is usually straightforward to SLaM as many trusts have a national
contract with them. If they do not then you may still obtain funding but
it has to go towards a funding panel. In future, there may be a more open
access for patients with BDD with research trials.
4) A community mental health team may also refer you to The Priory.
This does not necessarily mean that funding will be successful as there
are many competing priorities within the NHS and they have a limited budget.
This is more likely to occur with severe OCD and BDD for adults or adolescents
that requires in-patient care with nursing staff. An assessment sent to
your local team with a treatment plan can often assist them.
The best advice is to work with your local community mental health team and to keep trying to get what you believe is the most appropriate treatment option in the draft NICE guidelines on OCD and BDD.
Private Treatment
OCD-UK believes that every single person in the UK should be entitled to and receive access to the best possible OCD treatment on the NHS in an acceptable period of time. One of our aims is to improve the level of treatment available and the waiting times on the NHS.
In the meantime we accept that some people want help immediately and are in a position to be able to pay privately and need to know where they can get that help. We've provided this information for convenience only and we do not endorse or take any responsibility for the level of care that you receive.
What is also worth pointing out is that many people assume because they are paying privately they will receive the best possible care and treatment for their OCD. This is not always the case and the reality is that the only advantage by going privately is that you will receive immediate treatment for the period of time that you choose, and cut out waiting times.
In fact going private opens you up to potentially being treated by someone with the wrong, or even no qualifications at all. In the UK there's no compulsory regulation of psychotherapists and counsellors. Anyone can put a brass plate on their front door with their name on and the word 'psychotherapist' underneath it and start charging people (see also who will treat me).
The most important question to ask yourself when choosing a counsellor or psychotherapist is ‘can I develop a good relationship with this person?’. This is probably even more important than the type of treatment they provide. You may find it useful to see several people before you make up your mind. You may also find it useful to ask about their qualifications, training and experience, as well as the general approach they take.
We won't go into details but here are some of the recognised qualifications that you should look for:
BACP acc - this stands for British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy Accredited.
BABCP acc - British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) accredited therapist.
C Psychol - this stands for chartered psychologist.
FRCPsych or MRCPsych - fellows or members of The Royal College of Psychiatrists.
UKCP - this stands for United Kingdom Council of Psychotherapists.
If you're concerned about your therapist's behaviour, you can speak to another medical professional about it and/or contact any of the organisations mentioned above.
Private Treatment Centres
British
Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) Telephone:
01254 875277
You can find a list of accredited Cognitive Behaviour Therapists by going
to the website of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists
(BABCP). Once there click the 'Find a Therapist' link and fill in your location
and select Obsessive Compulsive Disorders from the 'areas of competence'
field.
Christine Wilding (Chartered MCIPD, MBACP(Accred), pgDip.CBT (Univ. London))
Experienced Cognitive Behavioural Therapist specialising in OCD.
Surrey-based Private Practice. Where geography is a problem, telephone therapy is a possibility.
Confidential phone line: 01737 357494 email: chrissyw2 @ aol.com
The
Priory Hospital Group
Priory Central Office
Priory House
Randalls Way
Leatherhead
Surrey
KT22 7TP
Telephone: 01372 860 400
The Cardinal Clinic,
Oakley Green,
Windsor,
Berkshire,
SL4 5UL
Telephone: 01753 869755
OCD Centre
9 Eccleston Street
Belgravia
London
SW1W 9LX
Telephone: 0845 226 3110
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