South London and Maudsley: Top mental health trust for research 2022/23
South London and Maudsley has recruited the highest number of participants for research amongst all mental health trusts in England for 2022/23, for the second year in a row. More than 6,750 participants took part in research across 82 studies.*
The benefits of research
People who take part in research have highlighted many benefits, including: learning more about their condition; seeing an improvement in their own health; having an impact on our understanding and treatment of mental health and making a difference for future generations.
Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive this year, with 96% of people saying they would consider taking part in research again. One participant said:
It's good to feel that I am contributing in some way.
Another research participant said:
The researchers in the study were helpful, the tasks were interesting, and it made me think about my mental health.
The recruitment figures are part of annual reporting conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). It has been a successful year across the country, with almost 100 million people taking part in NIHR research.
The Research and Development Joint Office which supports researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust would like to express their thanks to all the people who have taken part in mental health research studies this year.
Tanya Shlovogt, Director of Research Quality at the Research and Development Joint Office, said:
It’s fantastic to see that we are the highest recruiting trust for mental health research for the second year in a row, and by quite a margin. This is due to the efforts of the Trust’s staff and research and development team to promote the opportunities open to service users and carers. We will build on this success next year and work to make sure that every service user in the Trust has the chance to get involved in research.
David Bradley, Chief Executive of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said:
Thank you to all of the people who have given their time to take part in research which is so vital to providing outstanding mental health care now and to others in the future. I’d also like to thank all those who have been supporting our Trust through conducting their own research and those who have been raising awareness of the opportunities available to be involved in research and encouraging service users and carers to take part.
Take part in research
The new Take Part in Research website lists a wide range of research studies happening in the Trust, which are open to all service users. They are searchable by condition and criteria and are particularly suitable for those able to travel easily to Denmark Hill where many of the studies are carried out.
(*)The data relates to NIHR’s Clinical Research Network (CRN) portfolio studies.
