RE: Request for a meeting – cbrt relaxation Support Sessions

Barton on Sea,

Hampshire,

BH25 7PQ.

The Prime Minister.
Rt.Hon. David Cameron M.P.
10 Downing Street,
London,
SW1A 2AA.
20^th July 2012

RE: Request for a meeting – CBRT Relaxation Support Sessions

Dear Prime Minister,

I telephoned your Private Office this afternoon and it was requested that I write to you. We would be honoured if you would please grant me and Mr. Trevor Mumby the privilege of meeting you in person during the summer recess at your local constituency office or in Downing Street? My husband Alan and I met Trevor at the “Global Mental Health” lecture (Royal College of Physicians) by the eminent UN and Wellcome Trust global mental health pioneer Professor Vikram Patel, who first coined the phrase “no health without mental health” in the combined Lancet research paper. Trevor has over fifty years experience in mental health and dementia and has already had the pleasure of meeting you and Mrs Cameron, for his company, “Mumbys Homecare Support” based in Frilford, Oxfordshire provided the wellbeing care and support for your Father.

CBRT -“Colour Breathing Relaxation Technique” (www.colourbreathing.com) is 100% UK innovation and therapeutic intervention, invented and developed by myself since 1997. An “all-inclusive technique” CBRT is non-denominational and found to be suitable for supporting the mental wellbeing for a very wide and diverse group of people e.g. age, race, gender, age, sexuality, disability, class and religion. The use of colour as a stimulus is a language which is understood by all.

Since 2003, Colour Breathing has been used for relaxation, positive thinking and EI programmes and calm projects in schools, prisons, hospitals, including used in areas of social deprivation in Belfast communities by mental health professionals. We believe CBRT could quickly provide NHS Patients with wide ranging wellbeing benefits and additional level of care for a large percentage of the population, saving the NHS considerable money. I am attaching a two page document created for the DH Innovation Procurement Team in June and two pages of key notes with this letter. CBRT aims:

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  To create a network of low intensity CBRT Relaxation Support Sessions across the UK (initially through NHS England) through primary care and social care bases. There is currently no national strategy or structured support available to help individuals / NHS Patients learn how to relax themselves naturally. Relaxation is an “essential” and precursor for overall wellbeing and health.
  
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  To reduce Patient demand for mental health and wellbeing provision; NHS costs, GPs attendance times, reduction in pharmaceutical intervention as a “first stop solution” and ongoing medication requirements, long term depression and related conditions, PTSD, addictions support (including prescription related addictions.) To improve “Patient Choice” for non-pharmaceutical led interventions, improve prevention strategies, widen mental health services provision, improve Patient Self-Care through learning a very natural and safe relaxation technique.
  
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  The two day CBRT Practitioner Training Programme has been received very well by leading nursing bodies and is being prepared for CPD Accreditation by The Royal College of Nursing and College of Occupational Therapists.
  

We hope that you will grant us the privilege of a meeting you in the near future.

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  CBRT has written a QIPP focused Initiative for 20 Trusts which could potentially save the NHS c. £44million GBP in Year One for an initial investment of c. £900k. The provision of CBRT Relaxation Support Sessions could help > 12,000 Patients per participating Trust/CCG; (> 240,000 Patients per annum) - during the first 12 months with 20 Trusts participation.
  
  
  
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  CBRT requires central funding and support for an immediate NHS clinical evidence programme to start immediate NHS led clinical trials working directly with the South West NIHR NHS Research Design Team working with leading academics from Leeds, Bristol, Liverpool and Bournemouth Universities who wish to undertake clinical evidence based programmes with measurable outcomes . We can provide NHS Evidence and NICE with peer reviewed research data and clinical based trials within a 9 – 12 month period. We have been advised that NICE take all their directives from Westminster.
  

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  CBRT was selected by the DH Innovations Team to showcase at the DH Healthcare Innovation Expo in March 2011 – and CBRT was said by the Exhibition manager to be “one of the most popular stands in the whole Expo”. (UKTI – “ Innovation is Great Britain”) We never dreamt we would experience so many hurdles and delays into NHS entry. With c. £600,000 private investment and 15 years dedicated work already invested into CBRT the technique and product range is ready for an NHS concept launch.

  The current mental health strategy “No health without mental health” is focused on the training of psychological led interventions such as CBT which is a NICE approved therapy. However a BBC health report (18.06.12) about The Mental Health Policy Group from the London School of Economics said “three-quarters of people with depression or anxiety got no treatment” and “£400m earmarked by the government for psychological therapy was not always used for its intended purpose because there was no obligation on NHS managers to do so.”

  CBRT viewed in its correct context - as a simple yet effective relaxation class - could quickly provide additional support to Primary and Social Care providers and train staff to offer structured CBRT Relaxation Support Sessions in their local communities. CBRT is suitable for the majority of the population - including children - who need or wish to learn “how to relax naturally.”
  
  
  

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  In July 2011, I received advice from a key DH Innovation Policy Team member and compiled a detailed 42 page CBRT NHS Initiative for 20 NHS Trusts or CCGs, to enable the initial training of 500 NHS Staff and 100 NHS Trainers in the CBRT Technique, which will initially provide 5,000 case studies for NHS Evidence.

  This Initiative and Business Plan was prepared and overseen by DTi Specialists from within Business Link and the Innovation Growth Team (Solent). During the R & D stages CBRT has worked closely with other DTi bodies such as UKTI, SEHTA and Finance South East – (a SEEDA funded Team.)

  In October 2011, I was asked to send two printed copies of the CBRT NHS Initiative to my local MP Rt Hon. Desmond Swayne who forwarded them onto the office of Rt. Hon Andrew Lansley MP. In November, an investor and myself received replies from Earl Howe and The Rt. Hon Simon Burns MP, who both wrote “As the CBRT is not NICE approved, the Department cannot recommend its adoption by NHS Trusts as a therapy that supports the IAPT programme” – and suggested that I make contact with the DH Procurement, Investment and Commercial Team which I actioned on receipt of this letter 11.11.2011.
  In December I spoke with the Head of Innovation at the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and he agreed how frustrating it must be for CBRT to not fit into the current NHS criteria models for funding.
  
  
  

• 
  Now - despite a great deal of additional work having been undertaken by CBRT since November 2011, CBRT are no closer to knowing how or when the CBRT Initiative or research programme will become centrally funded to provide the measurable outcomes required for seeking NICE Approval - which will enable NHS entry, as CBRT is “too market ready.”

  In March/April 2012, CBRT completed the NIC (National Innovation Centre) Technology Scorecard Process with a 92.53% mark - yet the NIC is unable to support the CBRT NHS Initiative due to CBRT being “too market ready.” There is a national and worldwide interest in CBRT including the USA, India, and China - even Qatar. Since 2009 I have personally met more than twenty senior UKTI Healthcare Specialists all keen to explore export potential; it is very frustrating and commercially damaging to still be waiting to find a way to start the NHS Initiative.

  
  

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  In April 2011 I contacted Lord Layard’s office and met Mark Williamson, Managing Director of “Action for Happiness” in June. The many positive, health related benefits of using a Mindfulness based relaxation technique understood, the meeting led to the conclusion that CBRT could provide a massive positive contribution to the wider population in a really BIG way – but it will be necessary for the initiative to have some sort of kick start and central funding support for the initiative and an NHS led research programme to be rolled out quickly. (The key health benefits and components of CBRT are already published in independent studies in NHS Evidence e.g. mind-body medicine, correct breathing, mindfulness, positive thinking.
  
  
  
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  In June I was very privileged to meet Professor Sir Michael Rawlins (Chairman of NICE) at the OHE Annual Lecture, where he spoke about the “Efficacy of Evidence in Clinical Trials.” Alastair Fisher PhD, a Health Economist at NICE kindly introduced me to him, providing a wonderful opportunity to briefly discuss the current stages for CBRT – and the dire need for a new approach to help UK innovations emerging from micro/smaller UK companies who need to seek NICE approval. We have been advised that NICE take all their directives from Westminster so CBRT will also need some form of government directive to set up a national network of CBRT Relaxation Support Sessions to be able to work towards NICE approval.
  
  
  
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  There are currently smaller pots of funding and grant funding being made available for technology and healthcare start-ups, concepts, ideas, visions – which is really positive – but this is a stage is where the money can easily be lost. It would really help if the government could look into to supporting smaller companies with cost saving, market ready innovations, who have “been through all the hurdles” and invested everything they own.
  
  
  
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  May I please suggest that another form of positive support for small businesses would be for each government department to have at least one team member who has the commercial experience of having created and then run their own company – and not simply experience at a senior managerial role in an already established company - as the two experiences are completely different. I have done both. It is completely different to “manage a given budget” than to create a budget to manage in the first place. Obviously we can’t have Sir Richard Branson in every department – but he does remember his roots and beginnings!

  Entrepreneurs who have had to self-finance and fight their way forwards at every stage with their own companies are the best people to help small companies as they really understand and appreciate how crucial timing and cash flow is - which often means putting the company first and not taking any holidays or salary. It is now 18 months since our success at the Healthcare Innovation Expo and allowing for any red tape ,we really believed that given the very supportive NHS staff feedback at the Expo, the CBRT NHS Initiative would be “up and running” within a 3 – 4 months period, maximum.

  
  
  Ends.