Research with NHS care designing new recovery pathway
Research with NHS care designing new recovery pathway
An innovative research project is working with NHS services and health professionals to recognise and respond to psychotic experiences, to help thousands of service users across England recover with tailored care.
Psychosis affects around 2-3% of the population, with symptoms like paranoia, hearing voices, delusions and confusion which can disconnect people from reality. Psychotic experiences can also occur with many common mental health disorders like anxiety and depression, and NHS staff across the region have been helping to assess them.
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Professor Jesus Perez, consultant psychiatrist at CPFT worked with colleagues to win funding in 2017 for the TYPPEX (Tailoring evidence-based psychological therapY for People with common mental disorder including Psychotic Experiences) study and is the lead investigator. Jesus said: “There are a range of treatments available for psychotic experiences, but no clear pathway to bring them into services where most people are already seeking help for other conditions. One patient described to me that they felt there was no right service to meet all their needs- they felt they were in no-man’s land. With more assessment we can develop a new recovery pathway for these patients to improve care and outcomes. Thanks to the fantastic support from NHS staff, we have exceeded the targets for collecting data this year and are already developing the first therapy training module for service teams.” |
Jenny Carter, a member of the TYPPEX Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) for patients and the public shaping the project, said: “I really enjoy being part of the TYPPEX LEAP and get a huge amount from it. The research team value our ideas and input, and it’s really great to be able to play an active role in every stage of the project. Sometimes service user involvement in projects like this can be quite tokenistic, but I have never felt that with the TYPPEX study; it feels like LEAP members are equal partners on the project alongside the researchers which is amazing. I genuinely feel like whether we have personal or professional experience (or both) of the issues the study is addressing, we all learn from each other, which is what I really enjoy about LEAP meetings.
"My personal involvement with the study has involved a range of activities from feeding back on participant information sheets to sitting on the interview panel to recruit the new PPI Research Coordinator for the project, as well as discussing and developing the training to be delivered to therapists. I was even able to suggest that service user involvement in the actual delivery of the training to therapists could be beneficial, and this is something the research team is now thinking about which is really exciting! I am really pleased that lived experience is valued so highly within the project; because people with lived experience of similar challenges are contributing to and sense-checking every stage of the process, ultimately it means that the outcomes will be better for service users. I’m really hopeful that the TYPPEX study will help people get the support they need and skill up talking therapies professionals to feel more confident working with people with unusual experiences or complex difficulties, providing a tailored therapy that will help service users explore these experiences.”
The TYPPEX team has worked with NHS care professionals in Early Intervention and National NHS Talking Therapies services across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Sussex, to collect over 1,150 assessments of psychotic experiences with people receiving care, with CAPE-15 questionnaires. They are working with patients and staff to develop a new talking therapy to be trialled in NHS mental health services.
Dr James Clarke, service lead for CPFT’s NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Talking Therapies said: “We are extremely pleased to be involved in this pioneering work with the TYPPEX team, who are investigating the numbers of patients with unusual experiences like paranoia (sometimes called psychotic phenomenon) in the National NHS Talking Therapies pathways. Although we achieve high recovery rates in the service with over half the patients achieving complete remission of their symptoms of depression and anxiety, as a service we are always keen to look at new innovations and how to improve outcomes for all patients we see. This exciting project will help to train some of the National NHS Talking Therapies staff and equip them to manage the more complex presentations seen in the service. We are looking forward to the next phase of the project which will involve training staff.”
CPFT’s CAMEO early intervention service offers help for people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough aged 14-65 years old who are experiencing symptoms of psychosis for the first time. People can self refer, or speak to a GP, family member or friend to ask them to refer for specialist assessments, advice and support. More information and contact numbers are provided in this leaflet. Anyone registered with a GP in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area can also access NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Talking Therapies by completing an online form that can be found on the services website here. Alternatively, the service can be contacted by calling 0300 300 0055, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays).
Members of the TYPPEX team will be presenting a poster with more information on the project at the Brainworks public open evening on 1 November, 5.30-8pm at the Cancer Research Institute. This research is funded by the NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research (PGfAR) Programme.
PHOTO:
The TYPPEX research project team (left to right):
Freya Stuart - Public and Patient Involvement Officer
Emma Soneson - Research Assistant, Debra Russo – Research Assistant,
Clare Knight – Programme Manager
Ushma Patel – IAPT Trainer
Professor Jesus Perez - Consultant Psychiatrist and co-Chief Investigator
Alex Georgiadis – Research Associate
Dr Jan Stochl – Senior Research Associate
About the NIHR
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR): improving the health and wealth of the nation through research.
Established by the Department of Health and Social Care, the NIHR:
• funds high quality research to improve health
• trains and supports health researchers
• provides world-class research facilities
• works with the life sciences industry and charities to benefit all
• involves patients and the public at every step
For further information, visit the NIHR website www.nihr.ac.uk
