The Trust was honoured to host a delegation of colleagues from China to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between South London Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), China Association for Mental Health (CAMH), and Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University (BAH).
The MoU formalises plans for strategic cooperation between the organisations and cements a shared belief that we can all benefit from working together on mental health and psychiatry, including on diagnosis and treatment, clinical research and development, education and training, professional capacity building, service innovation, academic exchange and international cooperation. Working together will support each organisation to further its contributions to the development of psychiatry and mental health systems in both countries.
The visit was led by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and attended by its key academic partner, the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College Long (KCL) and following remarks from colleagues from all organisations, the delegation also discussed children and young people’s mental health and digital learning.
Consultant psychiatrist and Chief Commercial Officer, Dr Sean Cross said, “We are delighted to welcome colleagues from China’s National Center for Mental Health and the China Association for Mental Health for a discussion about potential future partnerships between them and the Trust. We hope to build on initial conversations in a variety of areas especially around education, training and research collaboration as we think about the mental health and wellbeing challenges faced by all countries globally to offer outstanding care to patients, their families and all our communities."
During the visit, Dr Bruce Clark, CAMHS Clinical Director led a tour of the brand-new Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People.
Dr Clark said, “It was a privilege to meet colleagues from the National Center for Mental Health and the China Association for Mental Health and to explore our shared ambitions for the future of mental health care. We were struck by the strong alignment in the challenges we face and look forward to building on these discussions through collaboration in research, education and workforce development.”
Wen Jiang, Deputy Director-General, National Center for Mental Health, noted, “Following the launch last year of the China-UK Mental Health Working Group, with the support of the Investment Promotion Agency of the Ministry of Commerce of China and the Life Sciences and Healthcare Directorate of the UK Department for Business and Trade, China’s National Center for Mental Health, the China Association for Mental Health, and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust have jointly spearheaded the platform’s development.
"The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding between South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, the China Association for Mental Health, and Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University marks a substantive step forward. It reflects a transition from dialogue, exchanges, and mutual visits towards the implementation of concrete areas of cooperation."
Professor Wang Gang, President of Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University and President of China Association for Mental Health, said, "South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust is widely recognised as one of the world's leading institutions in mental health. It has achieved outstanding results in clinical care, research and innovation, and professional education and training. In particular, its extensive experience in translating scientific advances into clinical practice has made an important contribution to the development of mental health services internationally. I am confident that our organisations have significant opportunities to work together in enhancing service quality, advancing the discipline, and developing the next generation of mental health professionals. I look forward to further deepening our partnership and to achieving meaningful outcomes through future collaboration."
