Clinical Advisory Panel

In 2022, Bipolar UK launched a Clinical Advisory Panel of GPs, mental health nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists and academics in the mental health field from across the UK.

Led by a Steering Group of clinicians and academics with expertise in bipolar, the panel’s role is to support the delivery of the aims of the Bipolar Commission

What are the objectives of the Clinical Advisory Panel?

Bipolar UK’s Clinical Advisory Panel has six objectives:

  1. To ensure the charity’s advice and guidance is evidence-based and clinically sound, and to provide feedback on advice and ‘user test’ resources for clinicians.
  2. To share knowledge and expertise with the peer support services.
  3. To ensure our advocacy work is clinically sound and based on the best evidence-base.
  4. To become a reference group for academic literature and to provide case studies.
  5. To provide intelligence on frontline service delivery, in particular how policy filters through to make practical changes in delivery of health care.
  6. At a local level, individual panel members will act as a champion in their own NHS services and in the local media, advocating for quicker diagnosis, specialist bipolar services and peer support.

  • The Clinical Advisory Panel is led by a Steering Group made up of a maximum of 14 members and led by two co-chairs. One permanent co-chair will sit on the Bipolar UK Board and a second, rotating co-chair will change annually.

    These Steering Group members are representatives from both primary and secondary care who are appointed by Bipolar UK staff in consultation with the two co-chairs. The group will ideally include at least one GP, psychiatrist, psychologist, pharmacist and nurse. Non-clinicians with academic expertise in bipolar will also be invited.

    The Panel Steering Group will meet three times a year (in autumn, winter and spring) to assess progress of the delivery of the Bipolar Commission recommendations.

    Bipolar UK reserves the right to end membership of the Steering Group at any stage.

    All Panel Steering Group members will serve for three years but can renew the term if the Bipolar UK Board approves. They can also retire at any stage.

    The Panel Steering Group will, from time to time, invite individuals with particular expertise to consult and advise Steering Group Members on specific projects.

  • Co-chairs

    • Dr Aditya Sharma, Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Newcastle University
    • Professor Allan Young, Emeritus Director, Centre for Affective Disorders Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London

    Steering Group members

    • Professor Steven Bazire, Honorary Professor at the School of Pharmacy at the University of East Anglia in Norwich and Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and lead for www.choiceandmedication.org, which has over 75 subscribing organisations world-wide
    • Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham, GP Principal in Central Manchester and Professor of General Practice Research at Keele University
    • Professor Guy Goodwin, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford
    • Professor Ian Jones, Professor of Psychiatry and Honorary Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist at Cardiff University and Director of the National Centre for Mental Health
    • Stephen Jones, registered mental heath nurse and Professional Lead for Mental Health, Nursing Department, Royal College of Nursing
    • Professor Steven Marwaha, Clinical Professorial Fellow at the Institute for Mental Health at the University of Birmingham
    • Dr Nick Prior, psychiatrist and co-founder of Minderful, a mental fitness platform
    • Dr Thomas Richardson, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Southampton
    • Professor Daniel Smith, Chair of Psychiatry and Head of Division of Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh

  • Clinicians and academics with expertise in bipolar disorder and its treatment can join the Bipolar UK Clinical Advisory Panel if they are committed to the bipolar pledge:

    'I support quicker diagnosis and specialist treatment and support for everyone with bipolar'

    All clinicians and academics who want to sign up will be invited to join the Panel without any limitations on membership numbers.

    The Panel will attempt to achieve a broad geographic spread but can admit clinicians from the same NHS organisation or university if their skills complement each other.

    All Panel members are free to retire at any stage.

  • The role of the Clinical Advisory Panel is to support the delivery of the aims of the Bipolar Commission, although Bipolar UK recognises that individual panel members will have different views on the specific details and priorities within the broad aim of the pledge.

    The Panel will be managed by Bipolar UK’s Head of Policy and Communications, with input from the CEO.

    All activities will usually be conducted online or via email. Intensity of contact will vary. Some panel members may form ‘task and finish’ groups on specific projects.

    Panel members are not paid, although the charity will cover any pre-agreed travel expenses.

  • To sign up, please email bipolarcommission@bipolaruk.orgas an expression an interest. The Bipolar UK team will then be in touch to confirm 'next steps'.

    Please include your full name, job title, organisation and your specific area of professional interest.