Ultrasis Plc Regulatory News (ULT)

28 Apr 2008 07:00

Ultrasis PLC28 April 2008 Press release 28th April 2008 Ultrasis plc West Midlands Primary Care Trusts Commission Beating the Blues Ultrasis plc, the provider of interactive healthcare and associated services, ispleased to announce that the majority of Primary Care Trusts ("PCTs") in theWest Midlands Strategic Health Authority (SHA) have now contracted to provideBeating the Blues ("BtB") to all patients suffering from mild and moderatedepression. The contracts will have an annual value in excess of £300,000. Nigel Brabbins, Ultrasis' Chief Executive, said: "The West Midlands SHA is oneof the largest in England and we are delighted that the majority of PCTs withinthe region have agreed to purchase Beating the Blues to meet the demand fromtheir patients. There has been much publicity recently about the devastatingeffects depression has on people's lives and Beating the Blues offers a readilyavailable solution to this growing health care problem." He added, "Unfortunately, many people across the country are still being deniedaccess to this proven treatment for depression, despite the Government's publicpledge to deliver the NICE recommended treatment by March 2008. The result is apostcode lottery where patients entitled to treatment from their GPs - which thegovernment has a legal obligation to provide - continue to be prescribedinappropriate drugs and referred to long waiting lists for psychologicaltherapies. We now need the Department of Health to deliver on Ministers'promises and ensure Beating the Blues is available in every GP surgery foreveryone who needs it, not just a fortunate minority." - ends - For further information please contact: Ultrasis plc:Nigel Brabbins, Chief Executive +44 (0) 20 7566 3900nbrabbins@ultrasis.com www.ultrasis.com JMFinn Capital Markets Ltd, NOMAD and Joint BrokerGeoff Nash +44 (0) 20 7600 1658 Media enquiries: Capital MS&LJames Madsen +44 (0) 20 7307 5330james.madsen@capitalmsl.com Notes to editors: About Ultrasis plc Cognitive Behavioural therapy (CBT) is the psychological treatment of choice forpeople suffering from anxiety and depression, but the cost of a course of faceto face treatment (£750) and the shortage of therapists has seriously hamperedprovision, with waiting times in some areas stretching up to two years. NICEclinical guidelines for depression and anxiety (published in Dec 2004)emphasised the importance of this therapy and at the same time recommended thatsufferers from mild depression should not, initially, be given drugs andself-help material, preferably based on CBT, should be offered. Beating the Blues is an eight-week, web-based treatment programme for depressionbased on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Following a rigorous examination by theNational Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), "Beating the Blues" was approved by NICE in February 2006 with a requirement that it be madeavailable across the NHS as an option for all people with mild and moderatedepression. Guidance arising from NICE Health Technology Assessments is binding on the NHSand, based on undertakings from ministers, implementation of guidance wasexpected to be funded within twelve months of publication. However, this timetable to implement was in effect extended by another year to2007/8, when the Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt, then the Secretary of State for Health,at the MIND conference in March 2007 speaking approvingly of "Beating the Blues", said: "Computer-based therapy for milder, but more common mental healthconditions such as depression and anxiety should be made available to anypatients in England who could benefit from it from April 2007," a deadline ofdays, impossible to achieve. This commitment was reiterated in the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) ofNovember 2007, when the Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP, the new Secretary of State forHealth, announced the provision of another £170m for the Improving Access toPsychological Therapies programme. In defiance of declared government policy PCTs prove persistently slow toimplement. The ineffective response of senior staff in the DH and ministers isto advise patients to complain. We do receive a steady and growing stream ofinquiries from members of the public asking why their GPs are not able toprovide BtB. Ultimately over 3 million people per year should benefit fromBeating the Blues(R) at costs a fraction of those for providing face to facetherapy or antidepressants Beating the Blues(R), unlike many of the existing methods used to provide 'talking therapies', does not require years of expensive therapist trainingbefore it can be deployed to patients, is available at times that suit thepatients' needs , can be increased in volume to meet demand and is based on theprinciple of individual empowerment, enabling people to take more control oftheir own health profile, reducing long term dependency on health systems. Seven out of Ten patients suffering from depression who used Beating the Blues(R) required no further treatment. Waiting lists for face to face therapy extendto 18 months in some areas. Deployment of Beating the Blues(R) will cut these toa matter of days and help deliver another of the government's major commitments,the 18 week pathway. Ultrasis was the first company to offer computerised products based on CognitiveBehavioural Therapy (CBT) and interactive multimedia, and is the world leader inthe field. The products help people tackle stress, anxiety and depression, and afull spectrum of related chronic conditions. www.ultrasis.com www.thewellnessshop.co.uk This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange