Title: Clinically effective treatments for central nervous system disorders in the NHS, with a focus on epilepsy and Movement Disorders
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: Background Chronic diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) are associated with massive cost and burden to the individual, NHS and society. This programme grant will focus on two common groups of chronic disorders of the Central Nervous System that affect people across the age spectrum. • Movement disorders (primarily Parkinson’s disease) • Epilepsy Epilepsy affects around 600,000 people in the UK, with an estimated annual cost to the UK economy of £2 billion. Parkinson’s disease affects 125,000 people with costs of £2 billion. We bring together two Cochrane Groups (Epilepsy and Movement Disorders) in line with the Cochrane strategic plan. We will undertake methodologically complex reviews that will enable these two small groups to work together. The programme will be supported by the Liverpool Reviews and Implementation Group (LRiG) and Department of Biostatistics; both at the University of Liverpool. Our model follows the highly successful award to the Epilepsy Group in 2011. Theme and Scope Theme – Inform treatment decisions and prognosis in the NHS for nervous system disorders, focussing on epilepsy (Cochrane Review Group, Liverpool) and movement disorders (Cochrane Review Group, Lisbon). The budget will be spent in the UK and the programme will facilitate the groups working together, meeting some of the objectives of the Cochrane Collaboration’s strategic plan. The scope of the programme will have the following elements: 1. Review prioritisation, working with NHS Neurology Clinical Advisory Group and patients. This will be followed by a programme of topic prioritisation and refinement, using expert consultants (LRIG, Crowe) and stakeholders (including co-applicants). 2. Complex reviews lead by the core team, which will include network meta-analyses, prognosis reviews and assessment of harms. 3. Simple reviews supported by the core team, but lead by reviewers already working with Cochrane Groups. 4. Sharing processes and identifying the most effective ways of working together and communicating.

Lay abstract: Background Chronic diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) are associated with massive cost and burden to the individual, NHS and society. This programme grant will focus on two common groups of chronic disorders of the Central Nervous System that affect people across the age spectrum. • Movement disorders (primarily Parkinson’s disease) • Epilepsy Epilepsy affects around 600,000 people in the UK, with an estimated annual cost to the UK economy of £2 billion. Parkinson’s disease affects 125,000 people with costs of £2 billion. We bring together two Cochrane Groups (Epilepsy and Movement Disorders) in line with the Cochrane strategic plan. We will undertake methodologically complex reviews that will enable these two small groups to work together. The programme will be supported by the Liverpool Reviews and Implementation Group (LRiG) and Department of Biostatistics; both at the University of Liverpool. Our model follows the highly successful award to the Epilepsy Group in 2011. Theme and Scope Theme – Inform treatment decisions and prognosis in the NHS for nervous system disorders, focussing on epilepsy (Cochrane Review Group, Liverpool) and movement disorders (Cochrane Review Group, Lisbon). The budget will be spent in the UK and the programme will facilitate the groups working together, meeting some of the objectives of the Cochrane Collaboration’s strategic plan. The scope of the programme will have the following elements: 1. Review prioritisation, working with NHS Neurology Clinical Advisory Group and patients. This will be followed by a programme of topic prioritisation and refinement, using expert consultants (LRIG, Crowe) and stakeholders (including co-applicants). 2. Complex reviews lead by the core team, which will include network meta-analyses, prognosis reviews and assessment of harms. 3. Simple reviews supported by the core team, but lead by reviewers already working with Cochrane Groups. 4. Sharing processes and identifying the most effective ways of working together and communicating.

Research activity codes: 6.1 PHARMACEUTICALS;6.6 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL;6.7 PHYSICAL
Health categories: NEUROLOGICAL