27/08/2026
A major national mental health study has found that Open Dialogue, an innovative approach to mental health care, can reduce hospital admissions and improve people's experience of services following a mental health crisis.
As trial sponsor, NELFT played a key role in supporting and overseeing this nationally significant programme of research in partnership with UCL, King's College London and NHS organisations across England.
Open Dialogue is a person-centred approach that brings together individuals, clinicians and members of a person's support network, including family members, carers and friends, to plan and review care together. The model places a strong emphasis on continuity of care, shared decision-making and supportive relationships.
The findings are now available to read in full on The Lancet 's website.
Professor Russell Razzaque, Consultant Psychiatrist at NELFT and Professor of Relational Psychiatry at SOAS who co-authored the study explains: "Too often care is disjointed, families are left out and not enough time is spent on forging a deep and lasting therapeutic relationship in our services. The ODDESSI trial shows that when care is built around relationships, mutuality, continuity and shared decision-making, people report better recovery, better quality of life and better experiences of care, while at the same time making far less use of inpatient or crisis services."
https://zurl.co/1ASRr
UCL King's College London
