News: Smart TMS Announces rTMS alliance with NHFT
Smart TMS Announces rTMS alliance with Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
London-based Smart TMS has announced that it will be working in partnership with Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) to explore the provision of rTMS treatment for depression. The alliance will see Smart TMS working with NHFT for provision of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for both NHS and private patients in London and Northamptonshire.
rTMS, or Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is an innovative alternative to medication for treating depression. It is a clinically proven, non-invasive treatment which utilises the power of magnetic energy to directly stimulate precisely targeted areas of the brain.
The treatment was approved by NICE in 2015 for treating depression; yet as a new treatment, is not widely available in the UK, with just 3 NHS trusts and a handful of private clinics offering the service.
The alliance of Smart TMS and Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is set to increase availability of the treatment in both Northampton and London for both NHS and private patients. The partnership will see sharing of best practice learning, as well as resources, in order to deliver an excellent experience for patients wherever they are treated.
Dr Alex O’Neill Kerr, medical director of NHFT commented:
“TMS is a true technological breakthrough which offers patients a new treatment option that is both safe and effective. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment is non-invasive and involves no medication, sedation, anaesthesia or surgery. It is a very attractive alternative to antidepressants particularly where antidepressants have failed to produce a response or remission It avoids the side-effects often associated with antidepressants and apart from some discomfort at the stimulating site and occasional headaches there are no long-term side effects.”
Smart TMS Chief Executive Gerard Barnes further commented:
“Smart TMS is very pleased to be working with NHFT. As the treatment is relatively new and unknown in the UK, this partnership will enable us to bring this treatment to a much wider audience, including NHS patients as well as private.
“In future, we anticipate that we will have the opportunity to expand the clinic network and make the treatment available in more cities across the UK. There is a desperate need for viable alternatives to treating depression without the unpleasant side-effects of medication or the risks of more invasive treatments. We see an exciting future for rTMS in the UK.”
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation uses pulses of magnetic energy to activate or suppress the brain centres associated with a number of medical and psychiatric disorders (see accompanying fact sheet for more information). Smart TMS is a specialist provider of TMS treatment in London. They are affiliated with and located within The Smart Clinics at their South Kensington/Brompton Cross centre, where patients can also access a range of healthcare services including private GPs, counselling, specialists and complementary therapies.