Research at the Trust: November 2024
In this Roundup we share a blog from the Joint Research and Development Office on research culture, and opportunities to become a Research Champion. Read on to also find the latest research news from across the Trust and its partners, as well as media coverage, events and opportunities.
Updates from the Research and Development team
Join the Research Champion Network! We are looking for Student Nurse Research Associates, and Research Champions in CAMHS
Are you a student nurse with a passion for research? The Research Associate role gives you protected time during your placement to explore the Trust’s research network and be an advocate in your team for research opportunities.
If you work in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Serivces (CAMHS) and are thinking about becoming a Research Champion, we would love to hear from you! We would like to expand the network in this area to coincide with the opening of the Pears Maudsley Centre in 2025.
For more information contact: Ishtaah Persand , Research Champion Lead
IoPPN Research Culture Insights: Joint Research & Development Office
The Joint Research & Development (R&D) Office provides support to researchers in both the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. It is committed to ensuring that all research being undertaken is of high scientific quality and of a high ethical standard.
In this blog, the team talk about the mindset of researchers, and the importance of inclusion and collaboration to improve research and mental health care.
“By addressing the barriers raised by our community, we hope to encourage a research culture centred around inclusivity, which enables a diverse range of people to engage in mental health research and subsequently allow healthcare needs to be met in the whole population.”
Take Part in Research featured study: Accessing Sexual Health Care for People with Severe Mental Illness
Researchers are looking for people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, psychosis, schizoaffective or bipolar disorder (18+ years) to discuss their experiences (or lack of experiences) with sexual health services.
Visit the Take Part in Research webpages for more details.
Research News
Empowering Black voices in mental health care: the advance choice journey
This three-part blog series explores the recently completed Advance Statements for Black African and Caribbean (AdStAC) project, led by researchers and clinicians at the IoPPN and South London and Maudsley. We hear from Dr Nadine Keen, a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the Trust, Fiona Crowe, an Advance Choice Document facilitator, and an anonymous service user, all of whom were involved in the AdStAC project and advocate for the implementation of Advance Choice Documents in mental health services.
Talking back: the power of digital avatars in psychosis therapy
AVATAR Therapy, a novel therapy using computer-generated avatars has been found to be an effective way of helping people with psychosis reduce the distress and frequency with which they hear voices. The research, led by Trust-affiliated researchers at King’s, has now been recommended by a NICE Early Value Assessment, with the researchers seeking to provide it in routine NHS settings to gather further real-world evidence of effectiveness over the next three years.
£1.3M awarded to the Trust for cutting-edge research equipment and technology
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has awarded £1.3 million to South London and Maudsley to pay for new research equipment and technology. The funding will go towards a new Centre for Advanced Neurotherapeutics, a Digital and Virtual Reality Centre and Hub, and retinography equipment.
Digital platform myHealthE enhances families’ experiences of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services – watch a new video
myHealthE is a digital platform which was developed by CAMHS Digital Lab in collaboration with South London and Maudsley and South London Listens. It provides support to families waiting for assessment and treatment. It was introduced in 2021 and has been accessed by over 13,000 families. It is also supporting researchers as over 3,000 people have signed up to C4C and/or accessed studies through it. A new video explains how it works and its benefits.
A Life Less Safe: telling the real stories of health inequities through research and film
Two new studies and an accompanying short film have described the experiences of racially minoritised groups with physical and mental health conditions during the pandemic. Central to the project’s approach was a collaboration with the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) initiative working in the three pilot sites in the study, including South London and Maudsley.
Experts discuss how to ethically implement AI in healthcare
The ‘A Roadmap for an Ethical AI in Healthcare’ conference at Science Gallery London on 14 November featured wide-ranging discussions exploring how we can tackle the ethical dilemmas of implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in clinical care. It featured a stellar line-up of speakers from across government, academia, the medical sector, industry and patient representatives from the Trust.
Three new appointments within the King's Maudsley Partnership
Three world-leading experts have taken on roles within the King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People. Professors Philip Shaw, Gustavo Sudre, and Emily Jones will bring years of expertise with them as King’s, the Trust and Maudsley Charity enter the next exciting stage of the partnership.
In the Media
‘You tried to tell yourself I wasn’t real’: what happens when people with acute psychosis meet the voices in their heads? - The Guardian, 29 October
A long-read article on what AVATAR Therapy looks like, including interviews with trial participants.
Trial to help teens with anxiety and depression - BBC News, 18 November 2024
A student who has experienced anxiety and depression since she was a child helped develop a new "teen-friendly" mindfulness therapy that could help others. The ATTEND study, developed by the University of Cambridge and King’s College London, is aiming to recruit 480 teenagers and their parents.
Sign up to join the ATTEND Study here.
Events and Opportunities
AVATAR Therapy for voices in psychosis: results of the AVATAR2 Clinical trial
Wednesday 4 December, 15.00-16.00, In-person location: Robin Murray A in IoPPN Main Building (please RSVP to hannah.warren@kcl.ac.uk) or Join online using Teams link
Lecture - Innovations in youth mental health: A multimodal approach
Friday 13 December, 16:00-17:00, Robin Murray A&B, IoPPN Main Building – Register on Eventbrite
Research Club – Festive Season Research Club
Thursday 19 December, 2-3pm Online – More details here
Research Workship for Nursing Staff - Understanding our organisational readiness to achieve the Chief Nurse’s Strategic Plan for Research
16 January 2024, 9:30 to 13:00 – Wolfson Room at the Bethlem Museum of the Mind. Contact ishtaah.persand@slam.nhs.uk to join.
NIHR Maudsley BRC: PhD Studentship in Child Mental Health and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Application deadline: Sunday 9 February 2025 – Apply here
NIHR Research for Patient Benefit funding
Application deadline: 5 March 2025 – Apply here
