The history of the Institute of Psychiatry
The Institute of Psychiatry is a postgraduate institute of the University of London and, since August 1997, a school of King’s College London. Opened in 1923, it is the only postgraduate institution in the United Kingdom devoted to the study and practice of psychiatry and related disciplines. It shares the same site as the Maudsley Hospital which, was part of the Maudsley and Bethlem NHS Trust, and is now part of the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (one of the largest mental health Trusts in England).
Steeped in history
The origins of the Institute date back to 1896 when the eminent neurologist Dr Frederick Mott put forward proposals for the then novel concept of university level training courses in subjects related to psychiatry. However, it was not until 1914 that Mott’s idea began to bear fruit when the London County Council agreed to establish the hospital in Denmark Hill with the assistance of a generous donation from Dr Henry Maudsley after whom it is named.
Within ten years, the associated Maudsley Hospital Medical School had come to be officially recognised by the University of London and the new school retained this title until 1948 when it became a founder member of the newly formed British Postgraduate Medical Federation and changed its name to the Institute of Psychiatry. Later in the same year, the Maudsley Hospital was amalgamated with the Bethlem Royal Hospital to form a joint teaching hospital.
In 1999 the Bethlem and Maudsley NHS Trust merged with the Lewisham and Guy’s Mental Health Trust and the Lambeth Healthcare NHS Trust to form a new trust called the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, which is the largest mental health trust in the country.
The Institute subscribes to a Statement of Common Purposes which states:
The Institute of Psychiatry and the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust work together to establish the best possible care for people who experience mental health problems. A key joint aim is promoting excellence in research, development and teaching in the sciences and disciplines key to the understanding and treatment of mental disorders and related disorders of the brain. This knowledge and the skills thus gained will be applied to prevention of these disorders, finding the most effective treatments and developing the best service models for the community.
Commitment to research excellence
Most of the Institute’s teaching programmes have a research component and research accounts for seventy per cent of the Institute’s income. In the last Research Assessment Exercise, the Institute was judged to have the highest research power of any UK institution within the areas of clinical psychology, neuroscience and psychiatry.
Clinical activities linked to the local NHS Trust account for approximately twenty per cent of the Institute’s income. In its educational endeavours, the Institute’s relationship with the local NHS Trust is important as the Trust’s staff have a wide range of expertise and because the Trust has a pivotal role in addressing government mental health priorities.
Enriching experience
Taught programmes account for some ten per cent of the Institute’s gross income. These are primarily in-depth postgraduate programmes in specialist areas related to Psychiatry, Psychology and basic and clinical neuroscience. The Institute offers a rich environment in which close contact occurs between staff and students throughout the programmes and enables students to become part of the dialogue of their chosen discipline. Teaching by staff with research and clinical expertise allows students to gain specialist knowledge and thus to develop their careers as clinicians, therapists, researchers and educators.