Gloucester Clozapine Clinic

Abstract

Twenty-four patients in the Gloucester rehabilitation service were considered suitable for clozapine treatment between January 1993 and May 1996. Five patients consistently refused to start clozapine and four patients (21%) discontinued clozapine, usually due to side-effects. Eight patients showed ‘some positive response’ and seven ‘good positive response’, of the 15 still taking clozapine. High rates of side-effects, but low readmission rates were found in this group. Putative reasons for the low discontinuation rates and apparent success of clozapine treatment in Gloucester include the wide experience engendered in the single consultant-led rehabilitation team, and the better coordinated, uniform approach to managing problems through the Clozapine Clinic.