How you can get involved in Research

There are many ways that members of the public, patients, service users and carers can get involved in research, from being a participant to helping to design research studies.

If you would like to receive updates from the Research and Development Team about new research or ways to get involved, please sign up here.

 

Take Part in Research Studies

To see which studies are currently looking for participants please visit our Take Part in Mental Health Research webpage. You can also receive updates about new studies by signing up here.

Taking part in research can be rewarding and beneficial process. Participants have told us that it has given them:

  • A better understanding of their mental health
  • An opportunity to try new treatments that wouldn’t have otherwise been available to them
  • An opportunity to meet new people, especially those with similar experiences to them
  • A feeling that they are contributing to something positive

Taking part in research helps us to improve our understanding of mental health and develop new, more effective treatments — which can benefit many people now and, in the future.

 

Lived Experience in Research

The voices of people with lived experience of mental health conditions provide unique and valuable expertise and insights on research. This is often called Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE).

Service users and people with lived experience can get involved in research at the Trust by:

  • Contributing to the design of research studies (e.g. joining a Patient and Public Involvement group for a study). Sign up to be informed of opportunities to be involved here.
  • Joining the Service User Research Advisory Group (SURAG): SURAG is a group of people with experience of using mental health services that advise the work of our Research and Development Team at the Trust from a lived experience perspective. If you would like to find out more, email Saskia Perks, Lived Experience Research Ambassador, SLaM: Saskia.perks@slam.nhs.uk

 

Learn about research findings at the Research Club 

Last Thursday of every month at 2-3pm, Online

The Research Club, hosted in collaboration with the Recovery College is an open, informal webinar where service users, carers and staff can find out about mental health research. These sessions are designed to make research findings more accessible to service users, members of the public, and healthcare professionals.

In each session a researcher discusses their study – what they did, what they found out and what the impact will be. At the end of the presentation there is the opportunity to ask questions in a supportive, non‑academic space.

The sessions are also recorded, so if you can’t attend at this time, you can always watch the recording later.

Enrol via the Recovery College website: https://www.slamrecoverycollege.co.uk/enrol.html

If you are a researcher and you would like to share the findings of your research, please email: Saskia.perks@slam.nhs.uk

Research Club session this month

Thursday 29th October, 2:00pm-3:00pm

COMPEERS - A cluster randomised feasibility study of Contingency Management and PEER Support to promote attendance, increase treatment engagement, and improve outcomes for people with dual diagnoses of psychosis and drug/alcohol problems

Speakers

Sarah Nilsen
Senior Carer Support Worker - South London and Maudsley NHS

Dr James Duffy
Consultant Clinical Psychologist - South London and Maudsley NHS

Dr Suzanne Jolley
Senior Lecturer & Consultant Clinical Psychologist - Kings College London and South London and Maudsley NHS

About the presentation

People with dual diagnoses of psychosis and drug or alcohol problems experience poorer health and quality of life than for other mental health problems or either condition alone. Both kinds of difficulties can make it hard to access recommended treatments, so improving engagement is key to improving outcomes and is an NHS research priority. We want to carry out a large trial to test whether offering shopping vouchers helps people to attend peer support sessions to help them engage with treatment. To help us find the best way to do this, we recently completed a much smaller 'feasibility' study in SLaM. We will talk about why and how we set up this study, what we found, and our future plans.

If you would like to read the study protocol, you can find it here:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/29767342251406002

 

Thursday 26th November, 2:00pm-3:00pm

Improving Mental Health Care and Support - Early findings from our research into Care and (Education) Treatment Reviews

Speakers

Dr Bronagh McCoy
Research Associate, King's College London

Dr Abigail Croydon
Research Associate, King's College London

Background

We are researching the mental health challenges experienced by people with a learning disability and autistic people who are at risk of going to a mental health hospital. When people are considered at risk of hospital admission the NHS should offer a community-based review meeting called a Care (Education) and Treatment Review (C(E)TR). These meetings bring together people with different perspectives on care and support of the patient, including the patient themself, their family where appropriate, and their usual care team - clinicians, carers and support workers. What is distinctive about the C(E)TR meeting is the addition of independent panel members who are not part of the care team, including a clinical reviewer and a lived experience expert. At this meeting, everyone discusses the person’s overall situation, including their care and support, living arrangements and daily activities, and together they create action plans to improve their situation, helping to keep the person out of hospital where possible, or to reduce the amount of time they spend in hospital if they are admitted.

Our research

We are carrying out several studies on the use and effectiveness of community C(E)TRs. Bronagh will discuss the findings of the first study using electronic health records at SLaM – she will present the sociodemographic and clinical profiles of people who had a C(E)TR over the past 10 years and whether they have been successful in reducing hospital admissions across both short and longer-term periods. She will also describe an ongoing study at 10+ NHS Trusts across England, where we are following autistic people and people with a learning disability who are at risk of hospital admission across one year, and capture mental health, hospital admission and well-being outcomes, as well as information about the care and support they are receiving. Abigail will then present a qualitative interview study taking place at these same Trusts but also via charities and community networks, that gathers the perspectives of stakeholders involved in C(E)TR meetings – including people with a learning disability and autistic people, carers and professionals. Abigail will present some emerging findings from the interview study to date, focusing on the views and perspectives of the professionals and independent panel members who attend C(E)TRs. She will close with an appeal for people with learning disabilities and autistic people to take part, to ensure that their experiences and views are fully represented in the study.

Further information: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/opticat

Become a Community Research Champion

Community Research Champions are volunteers who help promote research at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

They raise awareness of research. If they have experience of taking part in research, they might also share their experience to inspire others.

Our goal is to bring research into everyday community settings (e.g. libraries, community centres, faith centres), making it easier for everyone to get involved.

  • Champions can be:
  • People with lived experience of using mental health services
  • Carers
  • Members of the public with an interest in mental health research

You do not need to have any experience of taking part in research to be a Community Research Champion. Community Research Champions are volunteers, so this is an unpaid role.

What do Community Research Champions do?

This is a flexible and varied role, which you will be able to shape based on your own interests and availability. You can choose the types of activities you’d like to be involved in.

Examples of activities include:

  • Talking to service users and the public about research
  • Supporting the Research Delivery Team at events and information stands
  • Visiting SLaM services to raise awareness
  • Giving talks or presentations
  • Writing blogs, newsletters, or social media posts about your research experiences

We also welcome your ideas for promoting research in your community, such as:

  • Hosting an information stand at a local library or community centre
  • Organising a short talk at a faith centre, school, or local club
  • Starting a conversation about research at local events or coffee mornings

What support will I receive?

You will receive an induction before you begin and support throughout your role. We also offer ongoing learning and development opportunities to help you grow in the role.

You will receive regular updates and opportunities to stay involved.

You will be supported by a named staff contact who you can contact for advice and guidance surrounding your role.

How much time do I need to commit?

There’s no minimum time commitment. You can be involved as much or as little as you like, and choose which activities suit your interests and availability.

How do I find out more and sign up?

If you are interested in becoming a Community Research Champion, please email Saskia.perks@slam.nhs.uk

Lived Experience Research Ambassador

Saskia Evans Perks 

Saskia supports work across South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to increase involvement in mental health research. Her work focuses on raising awareness of research opportunities, learning from the experiences of people who use SLaM services, and reducing barriers to participation.

She works with service users, clinicians, researchers and Research Champions to help ensure that research is inclusive, accessible and informed by lived experience.

saskia.perks@slam.nhs.uk