Mental health research studies
Find out more about our current mental health research studies and how you can get involved.
Developing a complex intervention to improve the process of disclosing adverse childhood experiences (ACE) for service users and staff. An experience-based co-design study.
What is the study about?
The aim of this project is to find new ways of working to support front-line mental health practitioners to discuss adverse childhood experiences with service users in a way that promotes healing and prevents further harm.
Who is running the study?
Funded by the Wellcome Trust and sponsored by King's College London & Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT), the study is run by Jessica Sears as part of her PhD programme in Mental Health Research for Health Professionals.
What is the possible impact?
- For service users: Improved experience of disclosing ACEs; access to trauma treatment options; improved therapeutic relationship; improved mental health outcomes.
- For staff: Improved confidence and competence to sensitively explore ACEs; improved compassion; greater job satisfaction.
What are the benefits of taking part?
Teams that decide to be involved will have a unique opportunity to reflect on their experiences of working with trauma survivors in community mental health settings. Members of the team and service users will also have the opportunity to be collaborators in the co-design process to develop a novel intervention.
What will taking part involve?
If you would like to take part you will be invited to:
- An individual interview to explore your experiences of care under a CMHT
- A series of workshops to design service improvements
You can decide to take part in the interview and not attend the workshops.
Who can take part?
- We are looking for adults aged 18 and over, who identify as having experienced ‘adverse childhood experiences’ and have sought help for their mental health from SPFT community mental health services.
- We are also inviting mental health practitioners (particularly staff from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic groups) from SPFT community mental health teams who have experience working with service users with a history of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
How can I take part?
If you would like to know more about the project you can email Jessica Sears: Jessica.
In the UK about 140,000 15–19-year-olds experience depression. An estimated 35,000 young people access NHS treatment for depression, of which:
• about 14,000 do not respond.
• a further 8,000 are likely to experience depression again after initial successful treatment.
Teenagers who still have symptoms after treatment for low mood, depression or anxiety, or who relapse quickly, need more treatment options.
What is the study about?
Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed Mindfulness for Adolescents and Carers (MAC) as a version of MBCT adapted to be more engaging for teenagers. MAC aims to help teenagers recover from depression and the parallel parent/carer group aims to support parents and carers to cope better.
We want to find out, Is Mindfulness for Adolescents and Carers (MAC) plus treatment as usual (TAU) more effective and cost-effective compared to TAU alone; how does it work and for whom does it work best?
Who is running the study?
ATTEND is a Randomised Controlled Trial sponsored by Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust and University of Cambridge. The Principal Investigator is Professor Tamsin Ford, with Prof Clara Strauss leading for Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The study is sponsored by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR)
Timeline
ATTEND will be recruiting participants from June 2024 to January 2026.
What is the possible impact?
New treatment that could be implemented in NHS teams and schools across UK to support young people with depression/low mood. Potentially this treatment could be offered nationwide as a second-line intervention to teenagers who continue to struggle with symptoms of depression after receiving therapy. We hope this will not only help the young people offered this treatment but also reduce waitlists in CAMHS to improve access to mental health support.
Why should you take part?
You will be helping support in the development of a new treatment for depression and all participants will be randomised into either our treatment arm (offered an 8-week MAC group) or our control group (continue with current treatment). Both groups will be offered £60 incentive for involvement of the study (spread across one year).
What will taking part involve?
After being randomised to either 8-week MAC therapy group or control group, we ask participants to complete a short questionnaire every two weeks to track mood over one year so that we can compare how effective MAC is compared to current treatments offered in schools and the NHS.
Who can take part?
Young people between ages 15-18, struggling with low mood/depression, who have previously completed an evidence-based treatment for depression or anxiety.
How can I take part?
Contact us with your interest or fill in your details on the study website
Take a look at the study website here: www.
See a poster for the study here
See the participant information sheet here
Contact details
T: 07886 589752
E: attend
For Sussex site specific queries, please contact:
What is the study about?
The CONNECT study aims to address the question: Can wearables and smartphones help service users manage their mental health?
To answer this question, The University of Manchester has developed a remote digital data collection system via a smartphone app which they are testing to see if it can predict an individual’s chance of psychosis relapse.
Who is running the study?
The £12.5m study is being led by the University of Manchester, funded by The Wellcome Trust and in collaboration with lived experience advisors from the McPin Foundation to ensure people with lived experience of psychosis are involved throughout the study.
The CONNECT smartphone app will be tested across six higher education institutions and their partnering NHS trusts across the country, including the University of Sussex partnered with the Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust.
Why is the study being run?
People who experience psychosis can encounter changes in their activity levels, sleep pattern and getting out and about just before they become unwell or experience a relapse. For example, someone who is feeling very anxious or low might not feel like socialising much. They might stay at home more than usual, phone their friends less, sleep less and experience other changes.
In CONNECT, we are asking people with a diagnosis of psychosis to use the CONNECT app in conjunction with a wearable device (smartwatch or Fitbit) to see how changes in behaviours and patterns might relate to their mental health getting worse. In the future, by using this system it may be possible to tell in advance when someone’s mental health might be getting better or worse by looking at these changes and offering extra support at the time it is needed.
Why should you take part?
The insight gained could be transformative to how we manage psychosis and enable timely intervention to prevent relapses in mental health. By participating in CONNECT, you will be contributing to the development of new knowledge which could help people who experience psychosis in the future.
If you do not have your own smartphone and/or wearable device, we are able to provide these for you, and at the end of taking part in the 12-month study, you will be able to keep the smartphone and wearable device (if you asked for one to use during the study). We will also pay for your data network costs for the time you are using the CONNECT app (£10/month), and reimbursement for your time spent attending 3-monthly research assessments over the 12 months will be £20 per assessment. You will also be reimbursed for any reasonable travel to and from research appointments.
What will taking part involve?
Participants in the study will be asked to use a smartphone and a wearable device (Fitbit or smartwatch) and download the CONNECT app. Over a 12-month period, we will ask participants to answer a short set of questions via the CONNECT app a few times a week which asks about their thoughts, feelings and mood.
We will also collect information automatically (without participants needing to do anything) using sensors which are built into all modern smartphones and the wearable device. This information will be about things like a person’s general movements, sleep and activity levels. Using this information, we will be able to work out if changes in sleep or activity levels, for example, might be a sign of someone becoming unwell.
Finally, we will ask participants to meet with a researcher (by phone, online, or in person) every three months over the 12 months to attend an interview to discuss progress.
Who can take part?
People over 16 years old with a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorder who have experienced at least one acute episode of psychosis in the last two years and are under the care of NHS mental health services.
More information
See a short film about the study here
You can find out more about the study on the CONNECT Digital Study website
Publications and findings
- Digital remote monitoring (DRM) captures service users' health-related data remotely using devices such as smartphones and wearables. Data can be analysed using advanced statistical methods (eg, machine learning) and shared with clinicians to aid assessment of people with psychosis' mental health, enabling timely intervention.
- Fifty-nine mental health professionals were interviewed about their views on DRM in psychosis care. They saw the value of using DRM to detect early signs of relapse and to encourage service user self-reflection on symptoms. However, the accuracy of data collected, the impact of remote monitoring on therapeutic relationships, data privacy, and workload, responsibility and resource implications were key concerns. Policies and guidelines outlining clinicians' roles in relation to DRM and comprehensive training on its use are essential to support its implementation in practice.
- Further evaluation regarding the impact of digital remote monitoring on service user outcomes, therapeutic relationships, clinical workflows, and service costs is needed.
Contact
Please ask your care co-ordinator to get in touch if you are interested in participating in the study.
Email: spft.
What is the study about?
The study will develop a performance-based screening tool that measures personal qualities (e.g. empathy, warmth etc.) of psychological practitioners.
Sixty practitioners and undergraduate psychology students will be invited to take part in a role-play scenario with an actor building on vignettes of psychosis clients. Participants will be provided with specific instructions to enable them to role-play either low, medium or high skills in a particular therapeutic domain. The role-plays are not designed to evaluate the actual skills of the participants but rather to provide a full range of role-played skills in preparation for the next phase. The responses in this role-play will be video-recorded and will be used in the next phase of the study. We hope to find out whether this screening tool (and associated role-play scenarios) can be used to identify skills in psychological practitioners and whether the identified qualities promote trust in clinicians.
This would ensure that people working as psychological practitioners have the necessary personal qualities and it can help identify training needs.
Who is running the study?
This study is being conducted by Miriam Hiersch (PhD student, principal investigator) and Prof Kathryn Greenwood from the School of Psychology, University of Sussex. The study sponsor is the University of Sussex, and it’s funded through the South east Network for Social Sciences (SeNSS). The study has received approval from the Sciences & Technology Cross-Schools Research Ethics Committee (SCITEC) at the University of Sussex and the Health Research Authority (IRAS number: 341260). This phase of the study (phase 1) will only run in Sussex Partnership Trust, as participants need to be able to travel to Brighton and Hove to participate.
What is the possible impact?
The study is being done because the existing measures for assessing personal qualities of therapists (e.g. empathy, warmth etc,) are not specific to psychological practitioners or to working with psychosis clients. Psychological practitioners (such as assistant psychologists, mental health and wellbeing practitioners etc.) can deliver short interventions to people with psychosis. It is important that these practitioners have the necessary personal qualities to promote trust in patients and colleagues, to facilitate a good therapeutic relationship and to provide effective treatment. Therefore, the screening tool that will be developed through this study will help identify these personal qualities and could then be used during the hiring or training process.
What will taking part involve?
Taking part would involve you agreeing to meet the researcher to take part in a role-play scenario. An actor will portray a psychosis client. You will be given some information about this “client” and be given ten minutes to read through all the instructions before each scenario. This will allow you to role-play a therapist with low, medium or high skills. You will then be asked to talk to the “client” for around five minutes. You will be taking the role of a psychological practitioner who is seeing this “client” for the first time. You want to find out what the client’s main issues are and set some goals for the treatment. You will be provided with a description of the client and some prompts for what you should talk about and how you should act. You will meet with three separate “clients” for around five minutes each. The procedure is similar, but the client presentation will be slightly different every time. These interactions will be video-recorded, so that these videos can be used in the second phase of
What are the benefits of taking part?
- You may contribute some valuable input into personal qualities needed to deliver psychological treatment
- You might learn more about your own personal qualities
- You can also enter a £25 prize draw at the end
- If you are a student, you can get 4 SONA credits for your participation.
Who can take part?
- You can take part in this study if you are either an undergraduate with no experience delivering interventions or a psychological practitioner (e.g. Assistant Psychologist, Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner etc.) with some experience delivering interventions to people with psychosis (either less than one year or more than one year)
- You need to be at least 18 years old to participate and have no current (self-reported) mental health issues that might affect your participation
- Recruitment for this phase will be open until the end of June 2025.
How can I take part?
- Please email the principal investigator (Miriam Hiersch) to take part: mkh29
@sussex.ac.uk - You will then be sent potential dates and you can pick a date/time that suits you.
- The study will take place at the Sussex Education Centre in Hove or at the University of Sussex.
What is this project about?
People living with eating disorders can have problems that affect their wellbeing and the wellbeing of the people that care for them.
The aim of the project is to understand more about eating disorder symptoms, treatment and outcomes. It is hoped that this will lead to better treatments which work well for lots of different groups of people.
The purpose of the EDCRN project is to collect and record information about eating disorder symptoms, treatment, outcomes, demographics, risk factors and physical health markers in participating eating disorder services across the UK. This information will be collected through questionnaires, blood test results and other physical test results. The information will be recorded in a secure online platform.
Who is running the study?
King's College London (lead sponsor) and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (co sponsor) are the sponsors of the study.
Chief Investigator is Prof Gerome Breen
The Principal for Sussex Partnership is Amy Brown
The EDCRN dataset
The EDCRN dataset has been co-produced by people with lived experience, caregivers, clinicians and researchers. It comprises patient and carer-reported questionnaire data, and clinician-reported information on eating disorder presentation, diagnosis and biomarkers (where available).
All patients receiving treatment at services who take part in the EDCRN will be invited to take part. Data will be recorded via the EDCRN platform. Services will have instantaneous access to the information provided by patients and carers, and clinicians will be able to use the platform to review patient progress. To view the dataset in full, click here.
What is the possible impact?
The project is looking to test the feasibility of establishing a clinical research network for eating disorders, based in UK children and young people and adults NHS eating disorders services. Together with people with lived & living experience (PWLE), carers, clinicians and researchers, the study team will establish a minimum dataset to characterise presentation, treatment, outcome and demographic information. This will allow easier data collection and sharing, reducing burden on services. The EDCRN will enhance research culture across NHS ED services, increasing job satisfaction and staff retention, is designed to enable world class research and further therapeutic development, and to enable research across all domains relevant to eating disorders.
The project will help us to understand who is being seen in eating disorder services. We will also be able to learn which treatments patients are getting, and whether these treatments work. By asking services to collect the same information, we will be able to do more research into the factors influencing eating disorder development. We hope that this in turn will lead to better, more personalised treatments.
What will taking part involve?
You will be asked to fill in questionnaires on an online platform. You can access the platform through the website or download the app. The results of blood tests and other physical tests you have as part of your eating disorder treatment will also be available to view on the platform. All eating disorder services participating in the EDCRN will be asking their patients to complete the same questionnaires and recording the same test results. Your treatment team will have access to the information that you provide so that they can review your progress as part of the treatment you are receiving with them
Researchers from the project will ask you for permission to access your survey information and other general information from your GP or hospital health records such as your medicines, your other health conditions, blood tests or other tests you have as part of your treatment. The researchers will only use information that they need for the research study.
Everyone involved in this study will keep your data safe and secure. We will also follow all privacy rules. At the end of the study researchers will save some of the data in case they need to check it and for future research. The researchers will make sure no-one can work out who you are from the reports they write.
Why should you take part?
The EDCRN will help us to understand who is being seen in eating disorder services. During the initial phase of EDCRN, when participants are receiving treatment, we will also be able to learn which treatments patients are getting, and whether these treatments work. By asking services to collect the same information, we will be able to do more research into the factors influencing eating disorder development. We hope that this in turn will lead to better, more personalised treatments.
The EDCRN will help us to see how eating disorder symptoms change after someone has finished eating disorder treatment. We are also interested in other experiences of mental and physical health after eating disorder treatment.
We hope that this will lead to better treatments which work well for lots of different groups of people.
How can I take part?
If you or your loved one are receiving treatment at a service participating in the EDCRN, the team will be in touch with you directly inviting you to take part.
The first step will be to create an account on the online EDCRN platform. You can access the platform through the website or download the app. You will need access to a laptop, tablet or smartphone with internet connection to access the EDCRN platform and set your profile up.
Contact details
If you have any questions or require more information about this project, please contact the research team by email: EDCRN
There is more information on the study website: Eating Disorders Clinical Research Network | King's College London
What is the study about?
The Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative (EDGI) is a project exploring risk factors in individuals who have experienced eating disorders.
Who is running the study?
The project is led by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) BioResource Centre Maudsley (part of the NIHR BioResource), researchers at King’s College London and Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity.
Why is the study being run?
Eating disorders are severe psychiatric illnesses and are associated with one of the highest mortality rates within mental health.
EDGI is a project set up to explore risk factors in individuals who have experienced eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder or any other eating disorder at any time in their lives.
It aims to better understand the genetic and environmental links to eating disorders in order to improve treatments for current and future patients. EDGI is also part of the NIHR BioResource, which is a large panel of participants with and without health conditions, that are interested in taking part in research; with the aim to improve health and medical care.
Why should you take part?
- Taking part will contribute to knowledge about some of the causes of eating disorders. This knowledge may lead to better treatment guidelines and improve future care for patients
- EDGI is an information resource for members, therefore participants will have access to pages dedicated to providing useful information to members
- Once someone is a member, they will access to further optional questionnaires and the opportunity to take part in further research studies.
What will taking part involve?
- Providing access to your medical records
- Completing some questionnaires
- Giving a saliva sample
EDGI is also an online resource providing information, other optional questionnaires and research studies you may be interested in.
Who can take part?
Anyone who:
- Is aged 16+
- Lives in England
- Is currently experiencing or has experienced an eating disorder in the past
How can I take part?
Upon signing up, participants will be asked which NHS Trust they belong to - please enter 'Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust'.
Visit the EDGI UK website to find out more
Contact
Email: spft.
What is the study about?
We are testing a novel therapy against anxiety which focuses on signals from our bodies, such as heartbeats, and teaches people to better feel and understand these signals.
Who is running the study?
This study is organised by researchers at the Clinical Neuroscience Department at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School. The study sponsor is University of Sussex. Funding comes from the Medical Research Council (MRC).
Why is the study being run?
In this clinical trial, we have three goals. First, we want to see if this new therapy could be part of the standard treatments that are offered in NHS mental health services. Secondly, we want to test if patients prefer to receive our therapy by themselves or with guidance from an online therapist. Lastly, we want to make sure that HeartRater:Clinical is as inclusive and easy-to-use as possible.
Why should you take part?
The research is designed to help with symptoms of anxiety and may help with your experience of anxiety.
You will also help us to learn more about the treatment of anxiety for patients in the future
What will taking part involve?
- Eligibility Interview and informed consent
We will ask you some short questions, so we get a better idea of whether the therapy is the right fit for you or not. If the study criteria match you, we will ask you to complete a more detailed eligibility assessment. We will ask you to provide informed consent before you give us more information about your anxiety, your physical health, and your mental health in general.
If you are eligible, you will be randomly assigned to receive the therapy with an online therapist or by yourself. This means you have a 50:50 chance of being in either group. We will then ask you again to sign a consent form where you declare that you understand what your participation in the trial involves and consent to taking part in the trial. - Baseline Assessment
We will send you the necessary HeartRater: Clinical equipment in the post to your home. This will include detailed instructions on how to use everything, a tablet computer, and a sensor to measure your heart beats. This sensor is a research-type electrocardiogram (ECG), with three leads that you can attach yourself to your upper and lower body. For the baseline assessment, you will use the software on the tablet that guides you through the different steps. You will be asked to complete two tasks to test how well you can detect your heartbeat in your body, and a range of questionnaires about your anxiety, emotions, and other experiences. - Therapy sessions 1 - 4
In each therapy session, you will use the HeartRater:Clinical equipment. You will be asked to try and detect your heartbeat and receive feedback on how you are doing. This can be difficult in the beginning but will get easier with each session. You will complete 1-2 sessions per week, depending on your preference and availability. - Mid-point assessment
We will ask you again to complete the two tasks from the baseline assessment and fill out the same questionnaires.
- Therapy sessions 5 & 6
These are the same as therapy sessions 1-4.
- End-point assessment (2 hours)
The end-point assessment is the same as the baseline and mid-point assessment, with some additional questionnaires.
- We will also offer a reimbursement of £10/hour for the time you spend on the baseline, mid-point, and end-point assessments.
- If you take part in the trial, your participation will take approximately 8 weeks.
- You will still be able to receive standard IAPT/Talking Therapies treatment after you finish the trial.
Who can take part?
- Over the age of 18 years old
- A diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, or panic disorder
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On the Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service treatment waiting list
How can I take part?
If you wish to learn more, please register your interest by emailing the research Coordinator (joanna.
Contact details:
Email: joanna.
Phone: 07825 753368
Why is this study important?
- The first year of life is a critical time of development, but it is also the most common age for children to be brought to court by social workers in care proceedings. These infants' mothers often have contact with mental health services. They may also be parenting amidst issues such as poverty, lack of social support, and sometimes domestic violence or substance use. When social services become involved, it can put more pressure on mothers’ mental health, causing difficulties to spiral.
- Having a baby is a big transition, but it can also be a ‘window of opportunity’ to offer support to families facing difficulties. However, practitioners say they find it hard to engage with families at risk of custody removal and lack guidance on this. Mothers with infants involved with the child protection system say they are less satisfied with the support they receive from services and have more needs left unmet than other mothers. Those who have their infants removed from their custody describe this as a time of acute crisis but struggle to get therapeutic support.
What will the study involve?
- This novel study uses quantitative and qualitative methods and co-design to explore these families’ experiences further and identify how mental health services can work with them better.
- Researchers will interview around 30 mothers (and their family members) across England, including within Sussex Partnership, who accessed mental health support perinatally and had child protection involvement. We will explore their views of their needs and how they believe they and their infants can best be supported.
- The aim of this project is to identify ways to improve the provision of perinatal mental health services for mothers at risk of having their infants removed from their custody, both to help meet their needs and support mother-infant dyads.
- The research will explore mothers’ characteristics, needs and service use experiences, including how their needs are understood and framed in this context, what influences their engagement with services, how different needs may cluster together, and how this can affect outcomes. The project will produce creative resources designed to amplify the voice(s) of this population and support practitioners working in this area.
Who is running the study?
Kings College London is running this study, which is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
The recruitment period is February 2024 - February 2029.
Sussex Partnership is pleased to be a site for this study.
Contact details
For more information, please see here
Email: spft.
What are Care (Education) and Treatment Reviews (C(E)TRs) ?Care (Education) and Treatment Reviews (C(E)TRs) were introduced in 2015 and are intended to help reduce reliance on in-patient care and ensure that people get the right support in the community. C(E)TRs are an essential person-centred process to ensure system partners are working with people and families to provide the right care, education and treatment to avoid the need for a hospital admission.
What is this research about?We are doing research to understand if C(E)TRs improve the care and support that people with a learning disability and/or autistic people receive in the community. This national study is led by London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust and is open other NHS sites across the UK from September 2025, including Sussex Partnership. You can learn more at the study website here
CETRs are widely undertaken but there is very little research about how they are used and if they help people to get the support they need. It is not known if they reduce the number of people going into hospital and the time that people spend in hospital. This research project will address three main questions:
What are the benefits of taking part?
What does the project involve?
What will happen if I decide to take part in the study?
How to take partPlease speak to your clinician for more information The contacts at Sussex Partnership Research team are Rosalind Byles and Ruby Warden. Contact them by email: spft.
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This study aims to see how many people with psychosis may have a specific problem with their immune system. We can find out that by testing your blood sample for specific antibodies.
Who is running the study?
The study is sponsored by the University of Oxford. The study will take place in over 40 NHS mental health Trusts in England and Scotland and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is pleased to be a site for this study.
Why is the study being run?
There is some evidence that some cases of psychosis may be caused by a specific problem with the immune system. If the immune system goes wrong it may cause conditions called ‘autoimmune’ diseases. We can diagnose some of these diseases using blood tests. If a problem with immune system is found, then you may be eligible to take part in an additional study called SINAPPS2. In the SINAPPS2 study we are testing a new treatment that may help people who have psychosis due to their specific problem with their immune system.
Why should you take part?
It is your decision whether you take part. If you agree to take part, you are free to withdraw at any time without giving a reason.
You may/may not directly benefit from taking part in this study. However, if you did have a positive blood test, it would mean your doctor may suggest starting different treatment to help your symptoms as most immune diseases are treatable. The advantages then are the possibility of a new diagnosis or more accurate monitoring of your current condition.
What will taking part involve?
You will spend around 15 minutes with a member of the research team asking you questions about your problems. You will have a 23 ml (approximately one and half tablespoon) sample of blood taken. We will pay you £10 to compensate for the time and inconvenience.
Who can take part?
People referred to a mental health service as possibly having psychosis or are experiencing symptoms of psychosis.
How can I take part?
The study is recruiting participants from participating teams within Sussex Partnership. Participating teams will introduce and invite patients to participate in the study.
To find out more about the study please see the University of Oxford website here.
Contact details
Email: spft.
What is the study about?
The study is exploring thoughts and attitudes towards sleep habits and memory problems.
Who is running the study?
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Why is the study being run?
Sleep disturbances have been related to both, physical and mental health illnesses. The research aims to understand the thoughts and attitudes of people, towards sleep habits and memory problems. This is a sub study of the Minder study which asked people about their perceptions of assistive technology.
Why should you take part?
In completing the survey, you will contribute to the understanding of attitudes towards sleep and memory problems. Although there are no direct benefits to the volunteers taking part in the survey, it is hoped that these results will help to identify behavioural characteristics, that could help public healthcare services.
What will taking part involve?
Taking part involves answering a series of multiple choice and free answer questions about your attitude towards sleep, including your knowledge and beliefs around sleep. If you agree to take part, you will be provided with access to an online survey to complete that takes approximately 15 minutes.
During the study, there will be a question which will ask how you found out about the study. Please answer 'Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust'
Who can take part?
- Those who have and have not, had experience with sleep and/or memory problems
- Those who are 18+ years
- Those who give informed consent to take part
How can I take part?
You can take part by clicking the survey link here
Alternatively, you can email Dr Leanne Bogen-Johnston (Senior Clinical Research Practitioner) at: l.
Sleeping Better: A Randomised Controlled Trial Testing the Effects of Treating Sleep Difficulties in Patients at Ultra-High Risk of Psychosis and Patients Diagnosed with Non-Affective Psychosis
What is the study about?
We think getting good quality sleep is important to us all.
But many people have difficulties sleeping. It may, for example, be hard to get to sleep, stay asleep, or to get up in the morning.
We have a talking therapy, provided over 12 weeks, designed to help people sleep better.
Who is running the study?
Sleeping Better is a multi-centre randomised controlled trial sponsored by the University of Oxford. The Chief Investigator is Prof Daniel Freeman and Principal Investigator is Dr Felicity Waite, with Prof Kathryn Greenwood leading for Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The research is funded by the Wellcome Trust, a charity that funds health research. It is also supported by the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre.
Why is the study being run?
Many people attending mental health services and patients with a diagnosis of psychosis have problems with their sleep. People may be lying in bed for hours without sleep; having nightmares; being up all night because of fears or hearing voices; sleeping a lot in the day; or having very irregular sleep patterns and sleeping at the wrong times. This often exacerbates psychiatric symptoms and makes thinking and everyday functioning more difficult.
We want to find out if an eight-session sleep therapy can improve sleep. We also want to find out whether improving sleep brings other benefits to a person’s life. For example, if it improves mood, concentration, and thinking.
Why should you take part?
We hope that Sleeping Better will improve people’s sleep, which in turn will lead to other additional benefits. The research aims to find out whether this is the case.
The insight gained from the trial could be transformative to how we manage sleep problems in people with psychosis and those at ultra-high risk. Sleep therapy could also prove beneficial as a preventative measure reducing transition to psychosis. You will be contributing to knowledge of how and for whom the treatment works.
What will taking part involve?
If you are interested in taking part in the Sleeping Better trial, you will attend a screening meeting to see whether the trial is suitable for you. If you are eligible and wish to take part in the study, informed consent will be obtained. It is entirely your choice whether to take part in the research or not. Even if you decide to take part, you will be free to withdraw at any time, for any reason. Your usual treatment will not be affected in any way by your decision. For people aged 14-15 years old, both the young person and their parent/guardian will be provided with the study information and will be asked to consent.
Everyone who takes part will be asked to complete an assessment at the beginning, then repeat it after 12 and 24 weeks. There is a small payment of £15 for each of these assessments. You will also be reimbursed for any reasonable travel costs for attending the assessments.
You will either be assigned to receive the sleep therapy or not, meaning half the people who take part will receive the intervention. This is decided randomly by a computer (a bit like flipping a coin). This allows us to find out if the sleep therapy is helpful – since we can see how people have got on with and without the sleep therapy. Everyone in the trial will also continue with the usual care.
The therapy is provided in approximately eight sessions over 12 weeks, with the number and length of sessions varying according to individual need. These sessions can take place in clinics, at home or remotely. There are booklets that you will work through with your Sleeping Better therapist. The treatment aims to help achieve regular sleep at the correct time of day. It helps a person build up the need for sleep during the day, develop an evening wind-down routine, and then helps your body learn to fall asleep in bed at the right time. The treatment is personalised for you. For example, if nightmares are occurring then these might be addressed too. Sleeping Better is a type of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
At the end of the study, you may be invited to take part in an additional meeting to talk about your experiences of the study.
Who can take part?
Sleeping better is for NHS patients who have current problems with their sleep. You may have also had distressing experiences such as worrying that others may be trying to harm you or hearing voices.
If you are interested in Sleeping Better, we would check to see whether it would be suitable for you.
How can I take part?
If you are interested, please speak to your care team/care co-ordinator who can get in touch with the research team.
Contact details
We are very happy to provide further information about Sleeping Better. If you are interested or have any questions, then you can contact us:
Email: spft.
What is the study about?
The SloMo2 study will explore how well SloMo therapy works when used in everyday NHS mental health services. SloMo is a digitally supported talking therapy designed to help people who have worries about harm from others. It works by helping people slow down fast thinking habits that can contribute to worries, to find ways of feeling safer and living well. Previous research has shown that people find SloMo helpful, easy to use, and enjoyable.
This study will assess how SloMo can be delivered by NHS therapists and whether it improves outcomes for service users. The target is to deliver SloMo therapy to 150 service user participants (50 per NHS Trust site), recruited over an 18-month period.
We will measure SloMo's impact on service user's mental health, how well it fits into routine care, and its value for money. If successful, SloMo could be made more widely available across the NHS.
Who is running the study?
The SloMo2 study is led by King’s College London in collaboration with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT), and Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust (CNTW).
The Chief Investigator is Dr. Amy Hardy, supported by a team of co-investigators, specialists, and NHS therapists across these trusts. The study is funded by the Wellcome Trust.
What is the possible impact?
The possible impact of the SloMo2 study includes:
- Improved support for paranoia
- Wider availability of SloMo across the NHS
- More engaging therapy
- Cost savings
- Reduced inequalities
What are the benefits of taking part?
In the previous SloMo trial, people found that the therapy helped them to slow down their thinking and worry less. They also reported improvements to their wellbeing. People found it enjoyable and easy to use. As we have evidence that SloMo can be helpful, and it is being offered within NHS care, we will not provide financial reimbursement for participation. With your consent, we will let you know about opportunities to participate in related research in future (e.g., an interview about your experience of SloMo), for which you will be reimbursed for your time.
What will taking part involve?
SloMo includes 11 one-to-one sessions with a therapist, typically lasting one hour each. Sessions will be supported by an online therapy platform which will includes videos of people sharing their worries, with tips about what can help you feel safer. You will be encouraged to try out these tips in sessions and find what works for you. Between sessions, the SloMo mobile app will help you identify worries and use the tips to feel safer. The app also provides a summary of your therapy sessions, and helps you keep track of progress. We recommend use of the SloMo mobile app to support your learning, however how much you use it is up to you.
Who can take part?
SloMo is for adults (18+), who are experiencing fear of harm from others. It has been co-developed with individuals with lived experience of these difficulties, to be as helpful and user-friendly as possible, including for people who do not feel confident using technology. The therapy is suitable for use by people who are currently under the care of NHS services.
How can I take part?
If you are interested in trying SloMo, contact your care co-ordinator, doctor or local NHS SloMo team. If a SloMo therapist is available, they will help you consider if the therapy is suitable for you. You will be given an information sheet and can ask any further questions before deciding whether to try SloMo. Your usual care will not change whether or not you take part
Contact details
Lauren Alff, Research Assistant
E: l.
Dr Sarah Mansfield, SloMo Therapy Lead
E: Sarah.Mansfield10@
Prof Kathy Greenwood, Principal Investigator
E: k.e.greenwood@
Further information
What is the study about?
One in three people with psychosis have visions, also known as visual hallucinations. Surprisingly, little is known about these experiences. We are trying to understand more about the thoughts people have about their visions and the impact they can have on their lives. This study aims to develop our understanding of visions in two ways:
- Develop a new measure exploring people's beliefs about visions
- Explore the relationship between visions and other issues such as poor sleep, high worry.
Who is running the study?
The study is led by Dr Charlotte Aynsworth (Gateshead Early Intervention in Psychosis,Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Foundation Trust and Department of Psychology, University of York). The study is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), which is part of the UK Department of Health and Social Care. It is sponsored by Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Foundation Trust (CNTW). The study is taking part nationwide, and is supported by Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust.
What is the possible impact?
Understanding more about the way in which people make sense of their visual hallucinations, and the impact it has on their lives, will be very helpful in enabling us to develop better treatments for people with visions.
What are the benefits of taking part?
There are not any direct benefits of taking part in the study. However, some people can find the questions interesting and find it reassuring to learn that their experiences are common. Equally, people often appreciate the opportunity to take part in research. Whilst this study does not offer a treatment for visions, the information you share may help us to develop new beneficial treatments for these in the future. You receive £10 for taking part.
What will taking part involve?
A researcher from your local NHS Trust will go through this study information sheet with you and can answer any questions you have. If you decide to take part, you will be asked to sign a consent form. You will then be invited to complete a pack of questionnaires which should take between 30 and 45 minutes. Your answers will be kept confidential. Someone can support you to complete this, or it can be done on your own online. You get £10 for taking part.
A small group of about 100 participants will also be asked if they would be willing to complete two of the same questionnaires again one week later. This would be a shorter meeting and will take about 15 minutes to complete. This is optional and you can choose to say no and still take part in the main part of the study. A further £10 will be paid to those who complete the second question pack.
Who can take part?
Approximately 900 people will take part in the study. Each person must:
- Be aged 16 or 65.
- Be in contact with mental health services.
- Have been given a diagnosis of non-affective psychosis (e.g. schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder or psychosis not otherwise specified).
- Currently experiencing visions (within the last 4 weeks).
How can I take part?
If you would like to find out more, please talk to a clinician involved in your care, who can contact us via the details below.
Contact
Principal Investigator: Dr Charlotte Aynsworth, Research Clinical Psychologist/NIHR Doctoral Clinical Academic Fellow
Email: charlotte.
Contact for Sussex
Joanna Pooley, Clinical Research Practitioner
Email: Joanna.