We are a multidisciplinary team consisting of specialists in Psychosomatic Medicine and Body Oriented Psychological Therapy.

Our aims are to:

• Conduct comprehensive clinical assessments 

• Provide psychoeducation sessions for service users 

• Combine the elements of body-oriented group therapy, personalised care and cognitive-behavioural psychoeducation according to service user preferences and clinical assessments 

• Educate fellow clinicians on how to meet the needs of persons with Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS) or Body Distress Disorder (BDD) 

• Help patients to develop a holistic perspective towards their condition and related health care, aiming to improve coping / disease management skills and reducing the burden of physical health complaints reported

   

The project is led by Professor Frank Röhricht, Consultant and Medical Director at the Trust who is engaged in local and national initiatives, looking to develop and support a network of interested clinical staff in order to better understand the options available to deliver a high quality and clinical/cost effective service to patients who present with MUS/BDD.

Our History

In 2010 East London Foundation Trust (ELFT) began looking at innovative solutions to meet the needs of patients with heterogeneous functional somatic symptoms (also referred to as medically unexplained persistent symptoms) in Newham/East London. Through partnerships between primary and secondary care providers — GPs and medical specialists — the project explored how to best develop an integrated care pathway across East London for patients with functional bodily distress disorder ("somatoform disorder" in previous diagnostic classification system).

The evaluation of outcomes demonstrated that patients who received treatment in the project benefited from the holistic approach to care; the findings showed a reduction in the number of physical health complaints reported by patients and an improvement in the feedback given by patients relating to their quality of life.

Following this work the team successfully applied for research funds from the Innovations Programme of the Health Foundation; the study findings confirmed earlier results and suggested that the care pathway reduces symptoms as well as associated health care cost (reduction in unnecessary healthcare utilisation). The pilot findings from this cohort study have been shared across the wider NHS to spread improvement and support dissemination. Another research project in collaboration with the University of Munich/Germany (Department of Psychosomatic Medicine) confirmed the efficacy of the manualised body-oriented treatment in the context of a randomised-controlled pilot study. The team has since conducted further service level evaluations in Richmond and in Tower Hamlets / East London in the context of service level pilots and the positive results from research studies have been replicated. 

We engaged in a number of activities to share learning, knowledge and skills with clinicians, particularly staff who work in primary care settings (GPs and nurses). This includes the development of a teaching and training package for primary care providers, an information resource for commissioners and a website/ online resource for clinicians across the country who are working with patients with MUS/BDD.