Service Detail

The Lishman Unit is a 15-bedded inpatient ward located at the Bethlem Royal Hospital. This is a specialist neuropsychiatry inpatient unit offering multimodal assessment and treatment by a multidisciplinary team of experts. 

We also have significant experience in complex discharge planning for patients who require ongoing care and support after leaving hospital. 

This is a national service which accepts referrals from the whole of England. Once referrals have been accepted, the team carries out a pre-admission assessment to determine suitability for admission. 

We generally admit two types of patient: 

• Patients with severe functional neurological disorder (FND): We are one of very few specialist inpatient units in the UK who admit patients with severe disabling FND. Please be aware that because there are only a small number of such units nationwide, this service receives a very high number of referrals and the waiting time for admission is lengthy. The inpatient treatment programme involves multidisciplinary therapy input from a team comprising physiotherapy, occupational therapy, clinical psychology, and speech and language therapy, in addition to medical and nursing input. Admissions typically last 12 weeks, though this can vary.
• Patients with neurological disease or damage who require complex neuropsychiatric treatment and/or neurorehabilitation: Mostly these are patients who have sustained an acquired brain injury (ABI) but we also take patients with neurological conditions (for example, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, post-encephalitis) when these conditions are associated with cognitive problems or other psychological issues. Many of these referrals come from other hospitals and we are usually able to admit these patients within two to three weeks. The unit does not usually admit patients with severe alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) as these patients generally require slower-stream rehabilitation. 

We also occasionally admit unusual cases where diagnosis may be unclear. If you are unsure whether a particular patient is suitable for this unit, we are always happy to discuss cases. 

Locations and consultants

• Bethlem Royal Hospital – Dr Nick Medford