Dr Mark Hudson-Peacock of Mantara Health Ltd
Medical firm joins awards judging panel
Mantara Health is the latest organisation to join the judging panel of the Kent Mental Wellbeing Awards.
The organisation provides a saliva-based DNA test to help healthcare professionals personalise medication choices for patients – a service that is particularly important for the mental health sector.
Dr Mark Hudson-Peacock, Founder and CEO of Mantara Health, said: “Mantara Health has decided to champion these awards because a lot of what we provide through our product gives guidance to prescribers which anti depression medications might suit patients better. We know 90 per cent of medications prescribed in general work in less than half the patients they are prescribed to. And specifically in the area of mental health its about 46 per cent of medications do not work as intended when prescribed the first time. So its very much a trial and error process.
“What pharmacogenomics does is take your personal genetic information just related to drug metabolism we can then match it to medications that might suit you, might not suit you. And if it does suit you whether you need to dose adjust – a higher or lower dose – depending on your genetic variants. In this way we take out the trial and error prescribing process and go for targeted personalised prescribing where you are more likely to have the right drug, at the right dose, at the first time of asking.”
“I’m excited to join the judging panel and hoping to see nominations focusing on mental wellbeing – and in particular on walking and talking therapies.
“So many of the patients I see as a practising dermatologist have issues related to mental health as well as their skin problems. So supporting these awards is both personal and professional for me.”
The Kent Mental Wellbeing awards is an annual event designed to showcase the people, organisations and initiatives that help us cope with life. The event’s three themes are: kindness and compassion; wellbeing; mental health.
Whether it is in school, business, community or family, so many of us have been lucky to have people and organisations with ideas, tips and tactics to help us cope. It is time to celebrate those mental health and well-being champions in our community and share this best practice.
The awards will be staged in October by the mental health charity Mind in Bexley and East Kent in collaboration with a range of wellbeing and mental health organisations.
Nominations can be linked to a simple act of kindness that lifted the spirits, a business that has improved staff wellbeing, through to a targeted initiative delivered by a charity or statutory organisation to support a mental health issue.
As well as Mantara Health the event is sponsored by SouthEastern, Kent County Council, Kent Community Foundation, Paramount Foundation, ADM Computing, National Grid GrainLNG, Medway Council, Town & Country Housing, WillowBank Education, Cactus Graphics, Blé Global, Ashford International Hotel and CommunityAd.
Submit nominations at www.kentmentalwellbeingawards.org.uk
For awards news follow @KentMWAwards on Facebook, Instagram and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
