Be a part of research

Service users, families, carers and staff are being asked to help us to identify the top 10 research interests for adult community mental health care.

The research team has created a survey to use in a study as part of our research development objectives.

We are interested in knowing the issues and concerns that staff, service users and their families feel need to be explored by research.

This can include a wide range of topics, from mental health symptoms and day-to-day living challenges to support and treatment interventions, as well as the provision of mental health services.

The survey takes 10-15 minutes to complete and will contribute significantly to our understanding and improvement of adult community mental health care form a research perspective.

Complete the feedback form here. 

Email  gabriel.abotsie@nsft.nhs.uk  for more information about the study.

Routine screening for gambling-related harm

Routine screening for gambling disorder and gambling-related harm within mental health and drug and alcohol services: A feasibility and pilot study.

Study Status: Recruiting

Study Lead: Ella Tibbott. Please email researchinfo@nsft.nhs.uk for more info.

Summary: Questionnaire study for service users within NSFT. The purpose of the study is to ascertain how appropriate mental health and drug and alcohol services in England are for identifying and referring people experiencing gambling disorder and gambling-related harm. And to find out what the most optimal screening tools for determining prevalence of harmful gambling are in different services.

Who can be involved: All individuals aged 18 and above that are currently open to NSFT and are competent and willing to provide informed consent.

Inclusion Criteria:           

• Individuals Aged 18 and above.
• Open to any team within NSFT.
• Staff members at NSFT (for qualitative interviews).
• Competent and willing to provide informed consent.    

Exclusion Criteria:

• Where the individual has not given explicit consent to take part in the study.
• Where the individual is deemed not to be competent (e.g., under the influence of substances).
• Outside of stated age range.

What’s involved: Participants will fill in the questionnaire on a tablet/laptop, on paper or via telephone with a recruiting officer present. Questionnaire takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. Participants will be immediately signposted/ referred to relevant services/ pathways if they screen positive for harmful gambling.

Recruitment outside NSFT allowed: No

Recruitment end date: August 2025

ESCAPE: E-cigarettes for Smoking Cessation And reduction in People with mEntal illness

Looking for: 

• Adults (over 18 years) receiving treatment for a mental illness in primary or secondary care who:
• Smoke regularly and have smoked combustible cigarettes in the past 7 days. 
• Participants must be willing to address their smoking behaviour, either by attempting to quit or by reducing their consumption.
• Participants must have capacity to provide consent.
• Potential participants must have a scheduled clinical appointment within 1-3 months of identification.

Information about the study:

ESCAPE is a randomised control trial which aims to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of providing an e-cigarette starter kit to People With Mental Illness treated in the community to aid smoking cessation and harm reduction, as an adjunct to ‘usual care’.

What’s involved? 

• You will have a 50% chance of receiving the intervention (E-Cigarette Starter Kit) and a 50% chance of receiving treatment as usual with very brief advice to stop smoking.  
• Both groups will be encouraged to consider quitting and to set a target quit date soon.
• You will be asked to complete questionnaires with a researcher at the start of the study, after 1 month and 6 months later.  
• You may be asked to complete a CO reading if you report tobacco smoking abstinence at the 6 month follow up.
• Participants will receive up to £40 in shopping vouchers for their participation;

£10 for Baseline completion

£10 for 1-month follow-up completion

£20 for 6-month follow-up completion

• Participants in the control group will be offered an e-cigarette starter kit at the end of the study, despite not being allocated to the intervention group.
• You will have the opportunity to discuss the study and ask questions with the research team.

End recruitment date: April 2025

Contact the research team

If you have any questions about the study, please contact Jess Ogden from the research team using the details below (Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm)

Email: Researchinfo@nsft.nhs.uk

Phone: 01603 421397

Looking for: People with a diagnosis of Dementia (any type), that is likely mild to moderate and who have symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. Participants need to be able to provide informed consent.

Location: Face to face, or online

Information about the study

Compassion Focused Therapy is a talking therapy, that helps people to develop kindness to themselves when they are in distress. This study aims to find out whether Compassion Focused Therapy, delivered in a small group format online or face-to-face, can help improve mood, anxiety, and quality of life of people experiencing dementia and anxiety and/or depression.  

What will taking part involve:

• You will have a 50% chance of receiving the intervention (Compassion Focused Therapy) and a 50% chance of receiving treatment as usual.
• If you are offered Compassion Focused Therapy, you will attend 12 weekly 1-hour small group therapy sessions, you can choose to do this virtually or face-to-face. The sessions will involve meeting with a psychologist and a small group of people with dementia to discuss topics such as low mood, memory problems and coping mechanisms.
• You will be asked to complete questionnaires with a researcher at the start of the study, after 12-weeks and 6 months later.
• You will have the opportunity to discuss the study and ask questions with the research team.

End recruitment date: 31st December 2024

Contact the research team

If you have any questions about the study, please contact Ella Tibbot from the research team using the details below (Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm)

Email: Researchinfo@nsft.nhs.uk

Phone: 01603 421397

Looking for: 

Children and Young People aged 11-18 years, who have been on the waiting list in NSFT Central CAMHS or Ormiston Families for less than one month.

This study is open to service users of the NSFT Central CAMHS team and Ormiston Families only. Potential participants are identified and contacted by their clinical team.

If you would like to participate in the study or find out any further information, please speak with your clinical team.

Information about the study

The study seeks to identify if there are benefits from offering social prescribing programmes to CYP (Children and Young People) on CAMHS waiting lists through undertaking observational research using questionnaires and interviews. It aims to explore whether social prescribing pathways in CMAHS impact the mental health, well-being and social experiences of CYP.

What will taking part involve:

• The social Prescribing pathway is now live and involves working with someone, sometimes called a link worker or social prescriber, who will find out more about the young person, focusing on what they need, what matters to them and what they are interested in. Then they connect them with groups within their community that provide various types of support, such as arts and cultural programmes, social groups, or nature-based activities.
• Questionnaires at baseline, 3 and 6 months — can be completed online, over the phone or via videocall.
• Optional interview 6-9 months after baseline.
• Questionnaires / optional interviews for parents/guardians, CAMHS clinicians, Link Workers / Social Prescribers.

Contact the research team

If you have any questions about the study, please contact the research team using the details below )Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm):

Email: Researchinfo@nsft.nhs.uk

Telephone: 01603 421397

Need more information? Willing to take part?

 

 

 

Looking for:

Individuals with a diagnosis of bipolar and is a parent to at least one child between the ages of 4-10 years, with whom you have had at least 10 hours of contact a week.

Location:

Online

Information about the study:

The IBPI study is an online randomised control trial which aims to explore the effectiveness of an online intervention for parents with bipolar disorder, compared to treatment as usual on child behavioural and emotional difficulties.

IBPI delivers an interactive learning experience related to parenting and bipolar self-management techniques. It includes 9 modules covering areas such as managing mood changes and helping your child learn new skills.

What will taking part involve:

Services are being asked to help support recruitment in a signposting capacity only by referring service users directly to the trial team.

• Screening interview to confirm eligibility.
• Questionnaires about you, your child and experience of parenting completed at 3 time points.
• Randomisation to either receive the IBPI online intervention plus current treatment, or to follow current treatment.

Contact the research team:

If you have any questions about the study, please contact the research team using the details below (Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm):

Email: Researchinfo@nsft.nhs.uk

Telephone: 01603 421397

Need more information? Willing to take part?

Lancaster University Website — www.lancs.ac.uk/spectrum/ibpi 

A randomised controlled trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for older people with treatment resistant generalised anxiety disorder.

Looking for: People aged 60 and over who have a diagnosis of generalised anxiety disorder OR experiencing difficulties with chronic worry. Only open to recruit from teams where trained ACT Therapists are (NSFT Older Peoples Community Mental Health Teams: East and West Suffolk, and Norfolk: Norwich/North Care Group).

Location: In-person or online.

Information about the Study: The purpose of this trial is to see if a new form of talking therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) plus usual care can reduce anxiety in older people with chronic worry that has not improved after previous treatment compared to usual care alone. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a new form of talking therapy. It aims to help people learn how to live as best a life as they can with chronic worry, by helping them do things that are important and matter to them, alongside any worries or concerns they may have. If an individual is eligible and consents to the study, then they will be randomised to either the intervention group (ACT plus usual care) or the control group (usual care alone), there is a 50/50 chance of the individual receiving either ACT plus usual care or usual care alone.

 

What will taking part involve: Visits can be either face to face (home or clinic), telephone or online videocall. There is an initial Consent and Screening visit, followed by Baseline and further visits at 6 and 12 months. If randomised to the intervention arm, the participant will be offered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) plus their usual care. ACT includes up to 14, 1-hour sessions of therapy. The sessions can take place in person or by video or phone call. ACT includes working with a therapist to develop an understanding of the difficulties the person has been experiencing.

Contact the research team

If you have any questions about the study, please contact the research team using the below email address:

Researchinfo@nsft.nhs.uk

 

Looking for: People aged 16 to 25 years of age who either have an eating disorder (or think they may have one), or have no history of an eating disorder (healthy volunteer).

Location: Online

Information about the study

STORY is exploring the diverse experiences of young people with eating disorders. How do symptoms progress over time? What helps or hinders recovery? This information will allow us to deliver more personalised and effective interventions for young people with eating disorders in the future. 

What will taking part involve: Participants in this study will complete online surveys and tasks on a computer or smartphone at different times, download two apps onto their smartphone and optionally wear a device on their finger to measure heart rate and sleep.

Contact the research team

If you have any questions about the study, please contact the research team using the details below (Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm):

Researchinfo@nsft.nhs.uk

01603 421397

Need more information? Willing to take part?

 

Looking for: People aged 16 and above who have experienced, or are experiencing any eating disorder and live in England.

Location: Online

Info about the study

What will taking part involve? Taking part in this study will involve completing some questions which will ask about your demographics (e.g. age, gender and employment situation), emotional wellbeing, health and lifestyle, personality and experiences of an eating disorder. Following this you will be sent a kit to take a saliva sample, which you will then need to send back to the study team via pre-paid post.

Contact the research team

If you have any questions about the study, please contact the research team using the below email address:

Researchinfo@nsft.nhs.uk

Need more information? Willing to take part?

For further information see: https://edgiuk.org/ 

COBALT: COmBining memantine And cholinesterase inhibitors in Lewy body dementia Treatment

A randomised controlled trial assessing whether adding memantine to cholinesterase inhibitors improves the overall health and functioning of people with Lewy Body or Parkinson's Dementia.

Who can take part:

Inclusion criteria (answers must be yes to take part):

• People with a diagnosis of probable Lewy Body Dementia or probable Parkinson's Dementia
• Aged 55+
• Taking a cholinesterase inhibitor for at least 12 weeks
• Sufficient knowledge of the English language or support to understand the Participant Information Sheet and complete the trial assessments

What it involves: If you are interested in taking part, you will be contacted by a member of our research team who will outline the study for you, answer any questions you may have and check your eligibility. Involvment in the study includes being randomised to receive either memantine or a placebo, completion of a weekly diary, 12 months involvement in the study and regular outcome measures being taken for both participant and their trial partner (caregiver).

How to get involved: Contact us via email at Researchinfo@nsft.nhs.uk or via telephone on 01603 421397 to express interest in taking part.

iACT4CARERS: A trial testing if internet delivered self-help Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for family carers of people with dementia (iACT4CARERS) is helpful in improving psychological well-being. iACT4CARERS focuses on helping people to manage difficult or troubling thoughts and feelings, while still trying to do activities that really matter to them.

Who can take part: People over the age of 18 who are supporting a family member with dementia that are experiencing symptoms of anxiety and not currently receiving psychological therapy. Internet access is required to take part.

What it involves: If you are interested in taking part, you will be contacted by a member of our research team, who will outline the study for you, answer any questions you may have and check your eligibility. If you consent to take part, you will complete 8 online therapy sessions within 12 weeks and have two 30 minute one to one sessions with a therapist. At 12 and 24 weeks after entering the study, you will be asked to complete some measures online.

How to get involved: Contact us via email at Researchinfo@nsft.nhs.uk or via telephone on 01603 421397 to express interest in taking part.

Age: 18-65

Interview: 1 x online or face to face interview on your experience of the discharge process from mental health wards.

Location: online or face to face

Info about the study : Around 50,000 people leave mental healthcare hospitals every year. Being discharged from mental health inpatients is high risk in terms of relapse, readmission, and suicide. Many find the process of discharge overwhelming, and it is a key point in personal recovery for service users. Poorly planned discharge can lead to increased risks - 13% of service users are readmitted shortly after discharge and 32% of suicides occur in the first 2-weeks after discharge.

However, healthcare systems are complicated and there are many reasons which contribute to negative experiences of discharge. Therefore, we believe understanding these complicated factors is fundamental for us to improve the outcomes and experiences of those being discharged from mental health hospitals.

What the interview aims to explore: The aim of the MINDS study is to understand and improve the outcomes and experiences of people being discharged from mental health wards. Therefore, the interview aims to explore your experiences of being discharged from a mental health ward or caring for someone who has recently been discharged or involvement in the discharge process through your working role. We are really keen to hear the voices of everyone involved in the discharge process and the information collected during the interview will contribute to our understanding and improvement of the discharge process.

Who can be involved?

• Service users, carers, and staff who have experience of discharge.
• Service users aged between 18-65 years.
• Recruiting people who have been discharged in the last 12-months and are still under care of NSFT.
• Carers of someone who has been discharged in the last 12-months.
• Staff who are involved in the patient discharge process.

The interview can be remote or in person and service users or carers also get paid £10 to reimburse them for their time and staff will receive a 1.5hours CPD certificate for their time.

If you would like to participate in the study or find out any further information, please visit our website or contact us via email:

Website: MINDS study | Norfolk and Suffolk NHS (nsft.nhs.uk)

Email: minds.project@nsft.nhs.uk

Please also visit our dedicated MINDs study page MINDS study | Norfolk and Suffolk NHS (nsft.nhs.uk)

Age: 16-25 

Location: online 

ANSWERS is an observational cohort study, aiming to collect in-depth health and social data across multiple timepoints with 250 representative young people with mental health needs across Norfolk and Suffolk.

The information collected will provide us with data about what is important to young people, what helps and impacts their mental wellbeing from social, educational and neighbourhood perspectives, and how this relates to health service use and need.

The information we find will be anonymously and continually shared with all healthcare organisations involved in supporting the mental health needs of young people, including NHS Trusts, social care, public health and voluntary organisations to help them support young people.  

The study will be open to recruitment in January 2022, but in the meantime you can express interest in taking part in the study by signing up to the REACH research database to be contacted when the study opens: REACH

By signing up to REACH you will be given a choice of two ways to become involved:

1. Become part of the ANSWERS Young person’s advisory group and help steer and manage the project to make sure that we are asking the right questions

or

2. Become a participant by completing online questionnaires at regular intervals about all aspects of your life and how they impact your mental wellbeing.

Age 16 +

Duration: Up to one hour

Location: One off online questionnaire and optional test

GLAD stands for the genetic links to anxiety and depression. The study is a project set up to support research exploring risk factors for depression and/or anxiety.

The GLAD study aims to better understand depression and anxiety to find more effective treatments. It hopes to improve the lives of people experiencing these disorders.

GLAD is a national study with its own specialist website. Please remember if you found out about the study from Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust then be sure to put that when asked to ‘select the NHS trust, GP, talking therapy service or other healthcare provider’.

Register your interest on the GLAD website

PPIP2 — Prevalence of Pathogenic Antibodies in Psychosis

Looking for: 

Individuals between the age of 16-70 years who are experiencing a current episode of psychosis lasting less than 2 years. This can be a first episode or relapse.

Information about the study

The aim is to assess the number of patients experiencing psychosis that also have anti-neuronal membrane antibodies which might cause their illness.

What will taking part involve:

• One-off visit.
• Questionnaires regarding demographic information, previous history of psychotic illness and length of current episode of psychosis symptoms.
• Blood sample.

Contact the research team

If you have any questions about the study, please contact the research team using the details below (Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm)

Email: Researchinfo@nsft.nhs.uk

Telephone: 01603 421397

Need more information? Willing to take part?

For further information visit the national website and choose Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust