Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Overview

The Treatment Centre is an NHS service based at Berrywood Hospital that provides electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and ketamine therapy as part of Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The clinic offers countywide ECT and ketamine services for people with severe affective disorders and related presentations. The centre operates within standard NHS clinical governance and multidisciplinary team arrangements.

The service describes ECT as a treatment given under a short‑acting anaesthetic where a controlled electrical stimulus is used to produce a therapeutic seizure, typically for severe major depressive disorder, catatonia and mania. Ketamine therapy is offered as a low dose administered either intravenously (over about 40 minutes via syringe pump) or via an oral solution to produce an antidepressant effect.

Best for

This service is best suited to adults (mainly aged 18 and over) registered with a Northamptonshire GP who are under the care of a Consultant Psychiatrist and for whom ECT or ketamine therapy is clinically indicated. ECT may also be provided to 16–18 year olds in appropriate circumstances.

• People with severe treatment‑resistant major depressive disorder
• Patients with catatonia or severe mania where ECT is indicated
• Adults needing specialist ketamine therapy as an antidepressant option

Approach

The service follows a medical model with multidisciplinary input. Referrals are made by a Consultant Psychiatrist; the nursing team triage referrals before Consultant Psychiatrist and Anaesthetist assessment to determine suitability. Treatment pathways are clinician‑led and involve pre‑treatment assessment, administration of the intervention (ECT under anaesthetic or ketamine via IV infusion/oral solution) and post‑treatment monitoring.

ECT sessions are delivered under short‑acting general anaesthesia with appropriate anaesthetic and recovery protocols. Ketamine infusions are administered at low dose via cannula and syringe pump over approximately 40 minutes, with monitoring during and after the infusion. The centre emphasises clinically appropriate assessment of risks and benefits prior to treatment.

Education and Training

The team includes consultant psychiatrists, anaesthetists, mental health nurses, general nurses, operating department practitioners, health care assistants and students. Clinical staff operate within NHS professional frameworks and local governance; specific professional registrations and postgraduate training are held by medical and nursing staff as required for ECT and anaesthetic practice.

Support

Patients are triaged and assessed by the nursing and consultant teams prior to treatment. The service uses established peri‑anaesthetic and post‑treatment monitoring procedures to maintain safety. Preparatory information (including a ketamine infusion patient information sheet) is provided and integration/follow‑up is managed via the referring clinical team. The Treatment Centre has wheelchair access and asks patients to notify the team of any additional requirements before a visit.

Access to the service is restricted to patients registered with a Northamptonshire GP; the team provides contact details for queries and referral guidance for professionals.

Practical details

Services are delivered in person at Berrywood Hospital (The Treatment Centre). Referrals must be made by a Consultant Psychiatrist; the team triages referrals and arranges consultant and anaesthetic assessment. The clinic provides information sheets and referral packs for professionals. Contact details and location are published on the Trust website.

• Location: The Treatment Centre, Berrywood Hospital, Berrywood Drive, Upton, Northampton, NN5 6UD

This description was generated based on information from the official website and other materials provided by the provider.