Where Wessely's funding comes from

[Gerwyn]

Wessely works in the most prestigious London units involved in psychiatric research. The GKT complex also encompasses the Institute of Psychiatry (IOP). The whole of Wessely’s department in the IOP is committed to, and working on, issues relating to the psychiatric aetiology of illness. He is also involved in the King’s College Centre for Risk Management (KCRM), which is researching the perceived health risks of mobile phones and their masts, with the view, no doubt, to finding that there are none.

The IOP receives funding from, among others, Unilever, SmithKline Beecham, Pfizer, Novartis, NPS Pharmaceuticals; Lilly Industries Ltd. (manufacturers of Prozac), Hoescht Marion Roussel, Glaxo-SmithKline (Seroxat), Bristol Myers Squibb, Bayer, Zeneca and Wyeth.

Professor Wessely has been employed or grant-aided by both the British Ministry of Defence and the US Defense Department. He has contributed to seminars and meetings at NATO on crisis management of public fears of terrorist incidents. His connections with the military clearly involve conflicts of interests, and his work on Gulf War syndrome is thus automatically more suspect than that of independent researchers.

Professor Wessely has admitted to being an adviser to PRISMA Health, which was founded in 1999 and began establishing its programme in Europe and North America. Its head office and the corporate staff are based in Essen, Germany, and its president in the year 2000 was George F. Thoma, a German managing partner at Shearman & Sterling, a global law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers based in the world’s financial capitals. Representatives of the US government and the most powerful corporations of North America, such as Monsanto, have visited the company’s offices in New York. Thoma is a member of the company’s Mergers & Acquisitions Group, and practises primarily in the areas of corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring and privatisations.

 

[paddygirl]

A bad smell

Wessely works in the most prestigious London units involved in psychiatric research. The GKT complex also encompasses the Institute of Psychiatry (IOP). The whole of Wesselys department in the IOP is committed to, and working on, issues relating to the psychiatric aetiology of illness. He is also involved in the Kings College Centre for Risk Management (KCRM), which is researching the perceived health risks of mobile phones and their masts, with the view, no doubt, to finding that there are none.

The IOP receives funding from, among others, Unilever, SmithKline Beecham, Pfizer, Novartis, NPS Pharmaceuticals; Lilly Industries Ltd. (manufacturers of Prozac), Hoescht Marion Roussel, Glaxo-SmithKline (Seroxat), Bristol Myers Squibb, Bayer, Zeneca and Wyeth.

Professor Wessely has been employed or grant-aided by both the British Ministry of Defence and the US Defense Department. He has contributed to seminars and meetings at NATO on crisis management of public fears of terrorist incidents. His connections with the military clearly involve conflicts of interests, and his work on Gulf War syndrome is thus automatically more suspect than that of independent researchers.

Professor Wessely is an adviser to PRISMA Health, which was founded in 1999 and began establishing its programme in Europe and North America. Its head office and the corporate staff are based in Essen, Germany, and its president in the year 2000 was George F. Thoma, a German managing partner at Shearman & Sterling, a global law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers based in the worlds financial capitals. Representatives of the US government and the most powerful corporations of North America, such as Monsanto, have visited the companys offices in New York. Thoma is a member of the companys Mergers & Acquisitions Group, and practises primarily in the areas of corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring and privatisations.

I try to explain some of these issues to friends, I'm not sure if they even believe me because it sounds like a conspiracy theory. If it weren't so terrifying it would be funny. We need a Michael Moore, but I think Dr Judy is doing a pretty good job as a dragon slayer.

 

[ukxmrv]

Another big problem in the UK is the Linbury Trust.

http://www.linburytrust.org.uk/

MEDICAL:
For around 10 years, commencing in the early 1990s, Linbury funded more that 40 research projects into various aspects of CFS / ME (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis). This pioneering programme of sustained support led to great strides in the acceptance and understanding of this condition by both the medical establishment and general public.

 

[helsbells]

I agree with paddygirl in all sounds so unlikely you are the one that ends up sounding like a nutter when you bang on about it, it is all so distasteful. This is a really niave question but how come complaints can't get made against wessley - is it because he has such powerful allies?

 

[ukxmrv]

Funding for the PLoS ONE study

(copied from the paper)
Funding: AC, DC and SW are partially funded by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust/Institute of Psychiatry National Institute of Health Biomedical Resaerch Centre.

The team from Imperial College is grateful for support from the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre Funding Scheme. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

 

[Francelle]

ukxmrv - Why is the Linbury Trust a problem based on that statement. It sounds like they did some good in this regard!! Puzzled!

 

[fred]

ukxmrv - Why is the Linbury Trust a problem based on that statement. It sounds like they did some good in this regard!! Puzzled!

The Linbury trust is a big funder of Esther 'Cruella' Crawley at the MIN in Bristol. They've just given her 164k (along with the Ashden Trust, another Sainsbury family charitable set up) to look at researching the Lightning Process with children.

 

[ukxmrv]

Although the Linbury Trust has financed some research that on the face appears to be worthy, a look behind the scenes confirms that the bulk of their money has gone to Wesselyite researchers or for psychological interventions.

This has allowed the group to build up a portfolio of papers on the subject based on the patients in their own clinics. Helped to build their careers and the illusion that they are the ME and CFS experts in the UK.

It also returns research on patients from their own clinics to build up the picture that these are "typical CFS patients", even when their results do not stand up against cohorts from else where.

See the recent claims over the cohorts selected for XMRV research in the UK and Netherlands.

---------------------



http://erythos.com/RiME/Pet1.html

The Report was financed by the Linbury Trust, a private organisation, which has spent millions on research into "chronic fatigue", a condition where fatigue is the main symptom

-------------

Research Portfolio on Chronic Fatigue. Ed: Robin Fox; published by The Royal Society of Medicine for The Linbury Trust, 1998

Cognitive behaviour therapy offers patients a new way to think about their illness. The first application of CBT to chronic fatigue syndrome was by Wessely and colleagues (who proposed) a vicious-circle model of the perpetuation of chronic fatigue whereby patients beliefs about the illness lead to avoidance of activity and thus to chronic disability

www.meactionuk.org.uk/Organic_evidence_for_Gibson.pdf

-------------------

Research study to investigate a chronic childhood condition

A research study looking into interventions and treatment options for a chronic childhood condition has been awarded funding of 164,000 by the Linbury Trust and the Ashden Trust.

The funding has been awarded to a research team led by Dr Esther Crawley, Consultant Senior Lecturer in the University's Centre for Child and Adolescent Health and Consultant Paediatrician at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases NHS Foundation Trust.

The team will carry out a pilot project to investigate how to recruit to a randomised controlled trial looking at the Phil Parker Lightning Process and specialist medical care. This will be the first study of its kind in this area, and the team hopes to establish a basis for a larger scale multicentre research project.

http://www.sacfs.asn.au/

--------------------------

Clinical Category
Funding sources
(number of records receiving funding)
Amount (Ł)

Psychiatry/Psychological Medicine/Mental Health BKCW Mental Health NHS Trust (1) Not stated
Chief Scientist Office (1) 53003
Internal (1) Not stated
Joint Research Board St Bartholomew's Hosp (1) 38436
Linbury Trust (12) Not stated; Not stated; 34872; 36265; 43578; 52000; 68181; 85000; 111119; 112000; 115623; 30740

(taken from a ME-Research (MERGE) paper

------------------------

The authors state that they "are satisfied that the normal processes of supporting sound research are adequate": What is not mentioned is that in 1992, the Medical Research Council granted 1 million for research into "CFS", or that this grant was available only to The Institute of Psychiatry, or that all applications for funding had to be made to Dr Simon Wessely** (personal communication, and it was also announced publicly at medical meetings).

"**The authors were relying on information which was currently available and in the public domain, and which emanated from a senior and well respected NHS professional, but in correspondence with the Countess of Mar, Wessely takes issue upon this point and says the grant was for 92,000, not 1 million.

However, it has been confirmed by Sir Kenneth Calman (former CMO) on 11th March 1998 that the Linbury Trust has funded research into CFS amounting to 4 million; together with reported funding from the MRC (medical research council), the total is understood to be 5 million (see "Chronic Fatigue" and The Linbury Trust Research Portfolio --- A Clear Guide to Tunnels which may Extinquish the Light, by Dr Betty Dowsett. ( The QUARTERly - Newsletter for the 25% ME Group, December 1998, p26."

http://www.25megroup.org/denigration by design/joint royal college report.htm

------------------------------------

The Linbury Research program

Of the 19 current or past Linbury Trust grant holders invited to contribute to this portfolio 12 are psychiatrists (63%) while 9 of the 13 subjects covered in this booklet (70%) including all three papers on treatment, have psychiatrists or psychologists as authors.

http://www.25megroup.org/Information/Medical/dowsett's/Can hysteria be diagnosed with confidence.htm

-------------------------

 

[Dx Revision Watch]

Professor Wessely is an adviser to PRISMA Health

Source please, Gerwyn.

 

[Gerwyn]

Source please, Gerwyn.

www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/.../cmhealth/.../503we79.htm

 

[Dx Revision Watch]

www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/.../cmhealth/.../503we79.htm

Link does not work.

Also, for better Google searches could someone please correct the spelling of Wessely's name in the topic subject line, thanks?

 

[Dx Revision Watch]

Gerwyn, if that broken link leads to:

Evidence submitted by Professor Malcolm Hooper (NICE 07) etc

unless that document, itself, contains a contemporary reference source, then it won't fulfil my request for a source.

Wessely has said himself that he has not worked as an adviser to PRISMA Health for many years - he was listed on their Supervisory Board in 2001.

"Prof. Dr. Simon Wessely, British, is regarded as a world leading expert
in the field of medically unexplained illnesses. He has been publishing
extensively on chronic fatigue and is leading, among other things, the
Chronic Fatigue Unit at the King’s College in London."

also this paper:

http://128.121.104.17/cfs-inform/Reviewcfs/editorial.wessely01.txt

Source: Journal of the American Medical Association
Vol. 286, #11
Date: September 19, 2001
URL: http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/current/rfull/jco10098.html

"Author/Article Information

Author Affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, Guy's King and St
Thomas's School of Medicine and Institute of Psychiatry, London, England.

Corresponding Author and Reprints: Simon Wessely, MD, Department of
Psychological Medicine, Guy's King and St Thomas' School of Medicine, 103
Denmark Hill, London, England SE5 8AF (e-mail: sphascw@iop.bpmf.ac.uk).

Financial Disclosure: Dr Wessely serves as an advisor for treatment programs
and research opportunities for PRISMA, a private company that arranges
rehabilitation services. Dr Wessely receives no payment for this position, is
not a shareholder, and has no financial interest in the company."


But we have no contemporary reference for Prof Wessely's current relationship with PRISMA Health.

I keep seeing, on this board, repeated references to Wessely being an adviser to PRISMA Health and I keep asking for a reliable reference source - and no-one provides one.

Suzy

 

[Gerwyn]

Gerwyn, if that broken link leads to:

Evidence submitted by Professor Malcolm Hooper (NICE 07) etc

unless that document, itself, contains a contemporary reference source, then it won't fulfil my request for a source.

Wessely has said himself that he has not worked as an adviser to PRISMA Health for many years - he was listed on their Supervisory Board in 2001.

"Prof. Dr. Simon Wessely, British, is regarded as a world leading expert
in the field of medically unexplained illnesses. He has been publishing
extensively on chronic fatigue and is leading, among other things, the
Chronic Fatigue Unit at the King’s College in London."

also this paper:

http://128.121.104.17/cfs-inform/Reviewcfs/editorial.wessely01.txt

Source: Journal of the American Medical Association
Vol. 286, #11
Date: September 19, 2001
URL: http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/current/rfull/jco10098.html

"Author/Article Information

Author Affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, Guy's King and St
Thomas's School of Medicine and Institute of Psychiatry, London, England.

Corresponding Author and Reprints: Simon Wessely, MD, Department of
Psychological Medicine, Guy's King and St Thomas' School of Medicine, 103
Denmark Hill, London, England SE5 8AF (e-mail: sphascw@iop.bpmf.ac.uk).

Financial Disclosure: Dr Wessely serves as an advisor for treatment programs
and research opportunities for PRISMA, a private company that arranges
rehabilitation services. Dr Wessely receives no payment for this position, is
not a shareholder, and has no financial interest in the company."


But we have no contemporary reference for Prof Wessely's current relationship with PRISMA Health other than his providing an article for their CMO's Annual Report, 2007, along with Dr Chris Bass and it is understood that he ceased being an adviser to PRISMA Health around 2001/2.

I keep seeing, on this board, repeated references to Wessely being an adviser to PRISMA Health and I keep asking for a reliable reference source - and no-one provides one.

Suzy

The advisors upon whom NICE relies have been shown to have undeclared vested interests: These psychiatrists and their adherents are heavily involved with the medical insurance industry, including UNUM Provident, Swiss Life, Canada Life, Norwich Union, Allied Dunbar, Sun Alliance, Skandia, Zurich Life and Permanent Insurance, as well as the re-insurers Swiss Re, at which Peter White is Chief Medical Officer. For the way in which these psychiatrists deal with ME/CFS claims, see www.meactionuk.org.uk/Notes_on_the_Insurance_issue_in_ME.htm. For an exposition of their commercial conflicts of interest in relation to the Department of Work and Pensions, see www.meactionuk.org.uk/Obs_on_DLA_ Handbook_for_Gibson.html. Wessely is further involved with PRISMA, a multi-national health-care company working for insurance companies. In its company information, Wessely is listed as a Corporate Officer; he is a member of the Supervisory Board and in order of seniority he is higher than the Board of Management (for more information, see www.meactionuk.org.uk/What_Is_ME_What_Is_CFS.htm). A recent Report, known as the Gibson Report, by a group of Parliamentarians (including Dr Richard Taylor, who is also a member of the Health Select Committee) states: "There have been numerous cases where advisors to the DWP have also had consultancy roles in medical insurance companies. Given the vested interests medical insurance companies have in ensuring CFS/ME remains classified as a psychosocial illness, there is a blatant conflict of interest here. The Group finds this to be an area for serious concern and recommends a full investigation by the appropriate standards body" (For a summary of the Report findings, see www.meactionuk.org.uk/Summary_of_Key_Points_in_Gibson_Inquiry_report.htm). It is a matter of concern that NICE's chosen advisers on its "CFS/ME" Guideline Development Group include Dr William Hamilton, who has a published track record of believing "CFS/ME" to be a behavioural disorder. Moreover, he has spent 15 years working for the medical insurance industry and is currently Chief Medical Officer for a major medical insurance company, the Exeter Friendly Society. It was he who drew up the company policy that specifically excludes those with "CFS/ME" from eligibility for sickness benefit. Another member of NICE's GDG is psychologist Dr Hazel O'Dowd who also subscribes to the "behavioural disorder" model. However, she has recently published a paper that ought to cause NICE to reconsider its recommendations, as it showed that group CBT did not bring about the anticipated improvements. Another NICE GDG member is Dr Fred Nye, who was forced to make a public apology after his Department issued an advertisement for therapists informing applicants that "CFS" patients have "perpetuating illness behaviour"; that they experience "barriers to understanding" and that therapists will be required to "modify patients' predisposing personality style". Had such attributions been ascribed to those with multiple sclerosis, there would have been a national outcry. For an analysis of legitimate concerns about the NICE draft Guideline on "CFS/ME", see www.meactionuk.org.uk/Concerns_re_NICE_ Draft.pdf.

more on its way.it is certainly later than 2001

 

[Dx Revision Watch]

The advisors upon whom NICE relies have been shown to have undeclared vested interests: These psychiatrists and their adherents are heavily involved with the medical insurance industry, including UNUM Provident, Swiss Life, Canada Life, Norwich Union, Allied Dunbar, Sun Alliance, Skandia, Zurich Life and Permanent Insurance, as well as the re-insurers Swiss Re, at which Peter White is Chief Medical Officer. For the way in which these psychiatrists deal with ME/CFS claims, see www.meactionuk.org.uk/Notes_on_the_Insurance_issue_in_ME.htm. For an exposition of their commercial conflicts of interest in relation to the Department of Work and Pensions, see www.meactionuk.org.uk/Obs_on_DLA_ Handbook_for_Gibson.html. Wessely is further involved with PRISMA, a multi-national health-care company working for insurance companies. In its company information, Wessely is listed as a Corporate Officer; he is a member of the Supervisory Board and in order of seniority he is higher than the Board of Management (for more information, see www.meactionuk.org.uk/What_Is_ME_What_Is_CFS.htm). A recent Report, known as the Gibson Report, by a group of Parliamentarians (including Dr Richard Taylor, who is also a member of the Health Select Committee) states: "There have been numerous cases where advisors to the DWP have also had consultancy roles in medical insurance companies. Given the vested interests medical insurance companies have in ensuring CFS/ME remains classified as a psychosocial illness, there is a blatant conflict of interest here. The Group finds this to be an area for serious concern and recommends a full investigation by the appropriate standards body" (For a summary of the Report findings, see www.meactionuk.org.uk/Summary_of_Key_Points_in_Gibson_Inquiry_report.htm). It is a matter of concern that NICE's chosen advisers on its "CFS/ME" Guideline Development Group include Dr William Hamilton, who has a published track record of believing "CFS/ME" to be a behavioural disorder. Moreover, he has spent 15 years working for the medical insurance industry and is currently Chief Medical Officer for a major medical insurance company, the Exeter Friendly Society. It was he who drew up the company policy that specifically excludes those with "CFS/ME" from eligibility for sickness benefit. Another member of NICE's GDG is psychologist Dr Hazel O'Dowd who also subscribes to the "behavioural disorder" model. However, she has recently published a paper that ought to cause NICE to reconsider its recommendations, as it showed that group CBT did not bring about the anticipated improvements. Another NICE GDG member is Dr Fred Nye, who was forced to make a public apology after his Department issued an advertisement for therapists informing applicants that "CFS" patients have "perpetuating illness behaviour"; that they experience "barriers to understanding" and that therapists will be required to "modify patients' predisposing personality style". Had such attributions been ascribed to those with multiple sclerosis, there would have been a national outcry. For an analysis of legitimate concerns about the NICE draft Guideline on "CFS/ME", see www.meactionuk.org.uk/Concerns_re_NICE_ Draft.pdf.

more on its way.it is certainly later than 2001

It's a bit hard to plough through a chunk like that with no paragraphs.

"Wessely is further involved with PRISMA, a multi-national health-care company working for insurance companies. In its company information, Wessely is listed as a Corporate Officer; he is a member of the Supervisory Board and in order of seniority he is higher than the Board of Management (for more information, see www.meactionuk.org.uk/What_Is_ME_What_Is_CFS.htm). "


So the document in question is a Hooper/Williams document that gives as a reference an earlier Hooper/Williams/Marshall document?

What is ME? What is CFS? was published in 2001.

What primary source evidence to you have that Wessely continued as an adviser to PRISMA health beyond 2001/2002?

Did we not go all through this before on the thread where Holmsey was engaging with Wessely?

 

[Gerwyn]

It's a bit hard to plough through a chunk like that with no paragraphs.

"Wessely is further involved with PRISMA, a multi-national health-care company working for insurance companies. In its company information, Wessely is listed as a Corporate Officer; he is a member of the Supervisory Board and in order of seniority he is higher than the Board of Management (for more information, see www.meactionuk.org.uk/What_Is_ME_What_Is_CFS.htm). "

I,ve realised that you may be looking for something which cant be found.

Legally Wesselly has never worked for Prisma health.

He is a very clever man and it is not wise to take what he says at face value or ascribe the normal meaning to his words.

He is an advisor to the MOD but does not work for the MOD."Working for" means you have a contract of employment" doing work for" on the other hand involves a contract for services which is a completely different legal relationship.

A director of a company for example has a contract for services.

While wesselly says he has not worked for Prisma since 2001 he is telling the legal truth.

This does not however mean that he has not done work for them which is a very different situation from a legal perspective.

Has he recieved any consideration from Prisma health would be the appropiate legal question to ask.Has he recieved any monies or benefit in kind?

 

[Dx Revision Watch]

It's a bit hard to plough through a chunk like that with no paragraphs.

"Wessely is further involved with PRISMA, a multi-national health-care company working for insurance companies. In its company information, Wessely is listed as a Corporate Officer; he is a member of the Supervisory Board and in order of seniority he is higher than the Board of Management (for more information, see www.meactionuk.org.uk/What_Is_ME_What_Is_CFS.htm). "

I,ve realised that you may be looking for something which cant be found.

No, I'm asking you to provide a reference for the statement you have made which was:

"Professor Wessely is an adviser to PRISMA Health..."

So it is the case that you are making a statement for which you are unable to provide supportive evidence - not that I am looking for something that cannot be found.

 

[Dx Revision Watch]

"Financial Disclosure: Dr Wessely serves as an advisor for treatment programs
and research opportunities for PRISMA, a private company that arranges
rehabilitation services. Dr Wessely receives no payment for this position, is
not a shareholder, and has no financial interest in the company."

So we know from the disclosure on this published paper that at 2001, Wessely served as an advisor to PRISMA.


What I was asking for was for you to provide me with a reference for Wessely's contemporary relationship with PRISMA as an adviser - not a paid "worker" or a contract worker, but as an adviser.

You had written:

"Professor Wessely is an adviser to PRISMA Health..."

 

[Gerwyn]

No, I'm asking you to provide a reference for the statement you have made which was:

"Professor Wessely is an adviser to PRISMA Health..."

I think I have answered your question I gave you the reference which was used by Proff Hooper who is not renowned for making wild claims>it was written in 2007 and not contested.He is not an employee of Prisma health and never has been

So it is a case that you are not reading my answer.Wesselly admitted that he was a corporate officer for Prisma health.This is a subjective label and an honarary position.he them stated that he had ended a legal relationship with the company which did not exist in the first place.There is no evidence that the legal relationship which Wesselly admitted to has been terminated hence he continues to have advisor status.He has not issued any statement to the contrary.i repeat he is a master of words Would you like to define the legal status of advisor? You have taken his statement at face value as he intended.

 

[Dx Revision Watch]

I think I have answered your question I gave you the reference which was used by Proff Hooper who is not renowned for making wild claims>it was written in 2007 and not contested.

The 2007 document quotes as a reference, Hooper's own document of 2001.

He is not an employee of Prisma health and never has been

I never said he is employee and I am asking you to provide a reference source for your own statment that he is an adviser- not a secondary source from 2007 and then 2001.

So it is a case that you are not reading my answer.

No. It is the case that you haven't given me an answer.

 

[Gerwyn]

The 2007 document quotes as a reference, Hooper's own document of 2001.



I never said he is employee and I am asking you to provide a reference source for your own statment that he is an adviser- not a secondary source from 2007 and then 2001.



No. It is the case that you haven't given me an answer.

he was an advisor he admitted he was and has never stated since that he isnt----Is that clear enough