A new clinic at Oxford’s Warneford Hospital is bringing together brain imaging, cognitive assessments and physical health checks to help people experiencing psychosis for the first time receive a more comprehensive assessment early in their care.
The Baseline Biomarker Check (BBC) Clinic, established by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust in collaboration with researchers, combines several assessments in a single appointment. The aim is to give clinicians a fuller picture of each patient’s health and experiences, helping inform decisions about diagnosis and treatment.
People experiencing psychosis may hear or see things that others do not, or develop beliefs that are difficult to change. The condition can be distressing for individuals and their families, and symptoms often first emerge in late adolescence or early adulthood, although psychosis can affect people at any age.
Establishing the most appropriate diagnosis and treatment can take time because psychosis has a range of possible causes and people respond differently to treatment.
The new clinic is designed to provide a more structured assessment for patients receiving care through Oxford Health’s Early Intervention in Psychosis service. During a visit, patients are offered an MRI brain scan, assessments of memory and thinking, a physical examination that includes neurological health checks, and a detailed discussion about their symptoms, medical history and personal experiences.
The clinic is based at the Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity on the Warneford Hospital site. Its development has been supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Biomedical Research Centre: Oxford Health and Wellcome.
Oxford Health believes the service is the first of its kind in the UK. The trust says bringing these assessments together is intended to provide clinicians with more detailed information earlier in a patient’s care, supporting more personalised treatment planning.
Research alongside routine NHS care
Alongside the clinical assessment, patients can choose whether to take part in additional research activities. These are voluntary and separate from their NHS care.
Optional activities may include extended MRI scans using research-grade imaging, additional memory and thinking tasks, and providing biological samples such as blood.
Researchers hope that combining detailed clinical assessments with research data will improve understanding of why psychosis develops and why people respond differently to treatment. Over time, the findings could help inform more effective approaches to diagnosis and care.
The clinic was developed with input from people with lived experience of psychosis, including an Oxfordshire resident named Katie, who took part in a pilot of the service.
She said the experience helped her understand the research process and that she felt welcomed and listened to throughout the assessments.
“The BBC Clinic felt like a safe space to talk,” she said. “I felt listened to and I was well guided throughout the different parts of the clinical assessments and optional research opportunities.”
Katie added that participating in the design process gave her a sense that she could contribute to improving the options available to people living with psychosis in the future.
Who can access the clinic?
The BBC Clinic is intended for people experiencing first-episode psychosis who are receiving care from Oxford Health’s Early Intervention in Psychosis services. Patients may be referred by their consultant.
The service aims to bring more comprehensive assessment into routine NHS care while creating opportunities for research that could shape future mental health services.
More information is available on the Oxford Health Baseline Biomarker Check Clinic website. The clinic team can also be contacted at bbcstudy@psych.ox.ac.uk or on 01865 613115.
