Important information

Industrial action statement

Live Clinical and Health Research

Research studies currently recruiting

We’re keen to grow and develop Clinical and Health Research into all health areas within HWHCT. Please see below and click through for research studies that are currently recruiting participants and how you can get involved. For further information please email us.

Our performance in delivering research

The Government aims to increase the number of patients who have the opportunity to participate in good quality research.

To support this, the Department of Health assesses the performance of NHS providers in setting up and engaging patients in clinical trials. The Trust is required to publish its performance four times a year.

The Trust is measured on two indicators; one is the time it has taken the Trust to start a clinical trial, and the second is its delivery of commercial clinical research, to the agreed timescales and targets.

Please click on the link below to view our performance;

https://ccfctp.nihr.ac.uk/public-trustsubmissions/worcestershire-health-and-care-nhs-trust-998

NHS staff specific research

Investigating Healthcare Professionals' Learning at Work

Aim: 

Interpersonal exchanges at work have been identified as an important way of healthcare professionals’ learning and development. This study aims to examine whether, when, and how such learning takes place under extreme adversity and crisis in healthcare.

Eligibility:

Medical doctors, nurses, and professional staff who were involved/engaged with research for at least a period of 12 months up to the beginning of the pandemic.

What's involved?

Semi-structured interviews. Please contact us or Dr Margarita Nyfoudi from the study team for further information and to get involved.

 

The SPaCE Project: Support for Parent Carers in England

What is this study about?

To find out how parent carers of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) who are experiencing mental health problems, access support or treatment across England.

Who can take part?

  • Parent carers of children with  (SEND)
  • Health and social care professionals
  • School staff including SENCOs and family support workers
  • Staff from charities or community and social enterprises offering mental health support to parent carers of children with special educational needs or disabilities

What is involved?

 

Research Culture and Capacity: factors affecting nurses, midwives and AHPs ability to engage with research

Aim:

Find out how nurses, midwives and Allied Health Professionals (NMAHPs) and other health care professionals in the UK view research and how confident or well supported they feel within their teams and organisations to engage in research activity.

Eligibility:

- you are a NMAHP working at least 1 day a week in any healthcare organisation

- can already be involved in research or have no experience of research at all

What's involved:

Complete an online survey. Please find the link here: Research Culture and Capacity in Healthcare flyer.jpg.pdf [pdf] 222KB. This research is being led by the University of Sheffield.

Allied Health Professions Research

Mental Health

NEW:

EDGI: Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative

What is this study about?

To better understand the genetic & environmental links to eating disorders & help develop better treatments.

Who can take part?

  • Have experienced, or have been diagnosed with an eating disorder
  • Aged 16 & above
  • Lives in England

What is involved?

 

NEW (from 12.6.23):                                   

SUSTAIN: Managing the hunger side effects of antipsychotics

What is this study about?

To co-develop, with service users, carers and professionals, a feasible, acceptable non- pharmacological intervention to enhance self-management of antipsychotic induced hunger

Who can take part?

  • aged 16+
  • currently taking antipsychotics
  • currently living in the UK

What is involved?

  • 30-minute online survey
  • qualitative interview with 25-30 participants who have reported a change in hunger since switching onto an antipsychotic drug in the last 12 months
  • £10 shopping voucher available for participants

 

The SPaCE Project: Support for Parent Carers in England

What is this study about?

To find out how parent carers of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) who are experiencing mental health problems, access support or treatment across England.

Who can take part?

  • Parent carers of children with  (SEND)
  • Health and social care professionals
  • School staff including SENCOs and family support workers
  • Staff from charities or community and social enterprises offering mental health support to parent carers of children with special educational needs or disabilities

What is involved?

 

OPAL: One-to-one Peer support for family members and friends of patients treated under the mentAL health act (OPAL) – Intervention implementation

What is this study about?

  • Whether a carer peer support intervention is feasible in England? -Can the intervention use a “train-the-trainer” approach?
  • What are the potential benefits? -Are there risks and unintended consequences?
  • What are the implementation costs?

Who can take part?

  • Carer Peer Supporters (CPSs): Experience of being a carer for someone treated under the MHA in the last 10 years , 18+, willing to provide informed consent. First to approach Expert by Experience/Volunteers already working within the Trust, as DBS and Occupational Health will be required to be completed.
  • Carers: Will have a relative/friend currently being treated under the MHA, 18+, willing to provide informed consent.
  • Service Users: 18+, able to provide informed consent. To complete an interview with study team, exploring wider experiences of the impacts of carer support. Will receive £20 voucher.
  • Professionals: 18+, willing to provide informed consent. To complete an interview.

What is involved?

The 3 CPSs will be trained by CPSs who have previously completed the training. The training will be provided in two classes of 6, co-facilitated by two CPSs each. Likely to be delivered online/remotely (dependent on feedback from stage 1). CPSs will then go on to deliver the peer support to Carers.

Please contact us for further about this study and what's involved for each party involved.

 

Alzheimer’s including dementia

We don't have any studies in this field at the moment. However please go to the Join Dementia Research webpage to find out more about their service which allows people to register their interest in participating in dementia research and be matched to suitable studies.

National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH)

What is this about?

We are trying to understand why some people experience problems with their mental health. The purpose of this study is to collect information and samples for genetic, biological, psychological and clinical research. This will allow us to look for genes and other factors which make some people more likely than others to become ill. We hope that our study will improve understanding of these conditions and help find better treatments in the future.

Who can take part?

  • If you or one of your relatives have experienced a mental illness
  • If neither you nor your relatives have experienced a mental illness

By comparing information from people who have experienced a mental illness with information from people who have not experienced such problems, we hope to learn more about the factors that may make some people more susceptible to these illnesses.

What is involved?

  • A meeting with a member of the research team to complete a 30-60 minute assessment including patient consent
  • A blood sample or if taking blood is not possible a saliva sample
  • Look at your medical records to gain further details about the kinds of symptoms and treatments you have had. With permission to look at your records in the future to see if there has been any change in your health.
  • May ask you if any other members of your family would like to take part as this enables us to acquire a wide base of family genetic information. However, we would only contact your relatives with your full agreement.
  • For further information visit: https://www.ncmh.info/

 

Anxiety & Depression

GLAD (Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression) study logoGLAD: Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression 

What is this study about?

Depression and anxiety are the most common mental health disorders worldwide. In the UK, 1 in 3 people will experience symptoms during their lifetime. The GLAD Study aims to better understand depression and anxiety in order to find effective treatments and improve the lives of people experiencing these disorders.

The study explores how our genes and the environment influence the development of anxiety and depression in order to improve future treatment. Involvement in GLAD also involves joining the NIHR Mental Health BioResource, a central library of information about people’s health made up of genetic and clinical data.

Who can take part?

Anyone over the age of 16 who has experienced symptoms of anxiety or depression in their lifetime. There is no age limit, and participants can be NHS patients, parents/relatives/carers of patients and self-referred volunteers.

What is involved?

There are 4 simple steps to signing up to the GLAD Study:

  1. Register on the website and read the information sheet
  2. Provide consent
  3. Complete a 30 minute questionnaire to see if you are eligible
  4. Send a saliva DNA sample through the post

Once you have signed up to the GLAD Study, you will be able to see information on the website about a number of optional questionnaires or other research studies that are being carried out. You will be able to choose to take part in these studies should you wish to.

You can stop taking part in the GLAD Study at any time.

How to get involved?

To access the study go online here to learn more and to sign up. Remember to say you heard about the survey through Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust.

BiPolar and Related Mood Disorders

Bipolar Disorder Research Network Logo Bipolar Disorder Research Network (BDRN)

What is this study about?

The BDRN team are conducting research into the causes of bipolar disorder and related mood disorders. The main aim is to identify susceptibility genes for bipolar and other related mood disorders. The study is hoping to improve the understanding of the causes of mood disorders and help find better treatments for the future.

Who can take part?

Participants will be eligible if they are aged 18+, have had a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (or a related mood disorder) and have experienced one or more episodes of mania or hypermania at any time in the past.

What is involved?

Taking part involves an interview (either in person or over the phone), completing a set of questionnaires and providing a blood sample.

Learning Difficulties

MELD research study logoMapping and Evaluating Services for children with Learning Disabilities (LD) and Behaviours that Change (BtC) (ph.2)

What is this study about?

Find out about community based services across England that support children with a learning disability and behaviours that challenge, and their families.

Who can take part?

For services: included in ph.1 and no significant change to their service model since ph.1

For children: 0-15 years; has LD defined administratively; been referred at least in part for BtC; parents can give informed consent

What is involved?

Questionnaires for families on sign up and 12 months later.

Detailed information gathering of services and service users.

Perinatal

Maternal Wellbeing, Mental Health, and Life Experience

What is this study about?

To explore the factors that may have an effect in pregnancy and in the first year after childbirth i.e. exposure to certain life events and the effects of COVID-19 on the perinatal period.

Who can take part?

ALL women aged 18 or over who are currently within the perinatal period (currently pregnant or up to 1-year postpartum)

What is involved?

- Basic assessment online

- 2 short follow up questionnaires – date for when these are completed is dependent on when the lady was recruited either when pregnant or postnatally

To find out more please click here.

Personality disorder

I-RAP: Improving recognition, understanding and differentiation of autism and personality disorder

What is this study about?

  • Comparing quantitative measures of emotions, behaviour, cognitions, identity, and social interaction between autistic women and women with a diagnosis of personality disorder.
  • Finding out the best ways to assess and differentiate autism and personality disorder/complex PTSD
  • Overall, gaining a better understanding of the barriers that autistic people diagnosed with a personality disorder face in having their autism recognised, and identifying how these barriers can be overcome

Who can take part?

  • Womena diagnosed with an autism spectrum condition or self-identifying as autistic
  • Womena diagnosed with a personality disorder.
  • Autistic womena   diagnosed with a personality disorder

a Includes people currently identifying as fully or partly female, and people assigned female gender at birth and now identifying differently.

What is involved?

  • Complete a total of 22 self-report questionnaire measures (approx 75 mins) online/via post/F2F: https://tinyurl.com/IRAPSTART3
  • Optional choice to recomplete some of the questionnaires (approx 45 mins)
  • £25 Voucher for participation

Psychosis including Schizophrenia

NEW:

Understanding anger and aggression: A Questionnaire study

What is this study about?

  • The aim of this study is to develop a new psychological treatment to reduce aggression by forensic patients with psychosis after discharge
  • Understand what psychological factors ‘drive’ aggression (i.e. keep them going) in patients

Who can take part?

  • Participant is willing and able to give informed consent for participation in the study
  • Identifies as male
  • Aged 16 years + 
  • Diagnosed with non-affective psychosis (i.e. schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, psychosis not otherwise specified) and/or affective psychosis (i.e. bipolar disorder).
  • Using adult secondary mental health services, including forensic services (inpatient or community)

What is involved?

  • 45 minute questionnaire
  • Provide some brief demographic information (e.g. age, gender, ethnicity, diagnosis, and criminal history).
  • Around 10% of participants will be asked to repeat some of the measures again one week after initial participation, in order that test-retest analysis on these new measures may be conducted
  • Participants will be offered £15 for their time

To find out more please contact us

 

ADEPP: Antidepressant for the prevention of DEPression following first episode Psychosis trial

What is this study about?

  • The aim of the ADEPP trial is to establish the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of an antidepressant medication (sertraline) for the prevention of a depressive episode following first episode psychosis (FEP).
  • The study aims to recruit up to 508 participants over a period of 32 months from Early Intervention in Psychosis Services in the NHS Trusts across the UK.

Who can take part?

  • Patients aged between 18-35 years of age
  • Diagnosed with FEP (First Episode of Psychosis)
  • Within 3 months of initial treatment for FEP

What is involved?

This is a multi-centre randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled trial with an internal pilot study.

To find out more please contact us

 

IPPACY study logo IPPACT - Improving prediction of psychosis in ARMS using a clinically useful prognostic tool

What is this study about?

Improve prediction in the at-risk group for future services to provide better support.

Who can take part?

Mental healthcare professionals

What is involved?

  • Anonymised data to track how people are doing after a year.
  • Interview after a year

COVID-19

PANORAMIC study logo PAMORAMIC - Platform Adaptive trial of NOvel antiviRals for eArly treatMent of COVID-19 In the Community

What is this study about?

PANORAMIC was a new Urgent Public Health clinical trial which aims to find antiviral treatments which can be taken at home to improve symptoms and reduce hospital admissions for people with current COVID-19 symptoms. It opened last year. It is once again open to new participants.

Who can take part?

  • People aged 50 or over or 18-49 with an underlying health condition
  • Have received a positive LFT or PCR

What is involved?

  • A few daily questions to answer via the PANORAMIC website for 28 days
  • Contact by the study team 3 and 6 months after you started the trial to see if you have any long covid symptons
  • If randomised to receive the anitviral drug, taking this drug 
  • You can sign-up for the PANORAMIC trial today here: http://panoramictrial.org

ISARIC study logo ISARIC - International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium. Clinical Characterisation Protocol (CCP) for Severe Emerging Infection - study currently paused here at HWHCT

What is this study about?

This is a study recruiting hospitalised cases of confirmed 2019 novel coronavirus infection. Standardised clinical data is being collected to improve patient care and inform the public health response.

Who can take part?

Anyone over the age of 18 who has been hospitalised with Covid 19.

What is involved?

Collecting standard clinical date for a period of time to analyse the recovery from COVID 19.

 

Health and Wellbeing