National Center for Mental Health China visit the Tavistock and Portman

A delegation from the National Center for Mental Health China (NCMHC) visited the Tavistock and Portman on Thursday to take part in a round table discussion focusing on collaboration and shared learning.

Michael Holland (Chief Executive) welcomed the NCMHC’s delegation and hoped that in the future, the combined advantages of Tavistock and Portman comprehensiveness and expertise in research, education and training and NCMHC’s specialism in mental health could help refine related policies and training opportunities.

Heads of relevant department of both sides conducted a round table discussion on research, training and education and international exchanges in the field of mental health, and actively aligned direction of future cooperation.

The round table was led by Tavistock and Portman’s Dr Paul Dugmore, Director of Education; with Dr Chris Abbott, Chief Medical Officer; Rod Booth, Director of Strategy and Transformation; Qingxi Zhang, Business Development Manager; Premal Kamdar, Associate Director of Business Development.

The delegation consisted of:

• Wen Jiang , Deputy Director-General of NCMHC

• Lejuan Ma , Deputy Director of the Training and Outreach Division of NCMHC

• Qianli Liu, Project Officer of the Policy Research Division of NCMHC

• Xiang Zhou, Assistant Researcher of Mental Disorder Prevention and Treatment Division of NCMHC

• Zhihao (James) Feng, Head of Digital Health and British Embassy, Beijing

Professor Mark Freestone, Chief Education and Training Officer said of the visit:

“We were delighted to host the delegation from Beijing and hear about the impressive work of the National Center for Mental Health, which was only established a few years ago. From hearing about their work and sharing ours we identified many potential areas of collaboration within the area of education, training and research and we hope this is the start of a fruitful partnership”

The NSMHC delegation said also:

“Thank you for your thoughtful preparation and warm reception. We were impressed by the Tavistock’s therapeutic services, particularly in relation to trauma, the child and adolescent services, as well as a comprehensive education and training system. The meeting laid the foundation for future cooperation between the two organisations”

The delegation attended the Royal College of Psychiatrists Congress in Edinburgh and had some meetings and visits with other services in London.

In March this year Chris Abbott, Chief Medical Officer, and Paul Dugmore, Director of Education, went to China as part of a trade delegation selected by the Department of Health and Social Care. They sort to understand the latest landscape in Chinese healthcare, collaboration priorities in education, training, and research – whilst maintaining our ties with the region. Read more here.