Dr Alan Cohen to leave Sainsbury Centre

2 October 2009

Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health's senior primary care adviser Dr Alan Cohen has today announced that he will leave Sainsbury Centre to take up a new post at West London Mental Health NHS Trust on 1 November 2009.

Alan Cohen has worked at Sainsbury Centre since 1996. His major achievements include the development of guidance for family doctors on how to support patients with severe and enduring mental health problems and the instigation of new efforts to help GPs to support people with common mental health problems to keep their jobs and get more timely access to psychological therapy.

Alan Cohen said: "I am proud that primary care services now are able to support the needs of people with a range of mental health problems than ever before. The GP contract has created important incentives for doctors to support the physical health of their practice patients with mental health conditions. The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies initiative is reducing waiting times for psychological therapies. And I hope the Fit for Work scheme will soon assist more people to stay at work when they become unwell and avoid losing their jobs."

Sainsbury Centre chief executive Angela Greatley said: "Alan Cohen's work at Sainsbury Centre has helped to revolutionise primary care mental health in this country. His efforts to make mental health a bigger priority for GP services, and to ensure mental health policy takes the role of primary care seriously, have been instrumental in achieving the changes we have already seen in this vital field".

"I would like to thank Alan on behalf of Sainsbury Centre and our partners for his vital work and his sustained commitment to improving the lives and life chances of people with mental health problems in the UK."