Who we are
Research
The trust research team is a dedicated group of nurses and clinical research practitioners who promote research within the trust.
In this page
The Research Team
We are a research active Trust!
At Gloucestershire Health and Care, we know that health research changes lives. We’re committed to providing high-quality health research that benefits our patients, our community and the wider NHS now and in the future. If you take part in a clinical trial, you may be one of the first people to benefit from a new treatment or therapy or your feedback could help inform the care of others in the future!
Contact us
Email research@ghc.nhs.uk
Telephone 0300 421 5946
Our Policy
Our Trust is research-focused. We look for opportunities to promote research and development and are willing to provide the necessary training for our staff to be involved in research.
Whilst we have our dedicated research team, we require all of our staff to be proactive in promoting research so that the maximum number of our patients have the opportunity to take part in research studies.
All research carried out by the research team is only undertaken once a study is approved by the IRAS (Integrated Research Application System) and the HRA (Health Research Authority).
Patient safety is at the forefront of our choices when deciding if we will undertake a research study, and therefore we have strict standard operating procedures (SOP), to ensure that our patients are adequately cared for. All research staff including non-clinical have undergone medical emergency response training.
We will endeavour to undertake studies that include not just our patients, but also their families and carers, to better understand the needs of families, as well as the patients.
Studies currently recruiting participants
If you are interested in taking part in any of our studies, or would like to find out more, contact the research team.
Telephone: 0300 421 5946
Email: research@ghc.nhs.uk
Open studies
GLAD - Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression
The GLAD Study is exploring genetic risk factors in individuals who have experienced depression and/or anxiety at any time in their lives, including those with bipolar disorder, OCD, or related disorders.
You can take part in this study via the website by yourself, or contact the research team to support you.
Participant Eligibility
- Have experienced depression and/or anxiety.
- Aged 16 or over.
- Currently living in the UK.
Participant Requirements
- Complete some questionnaires.
- Provide a saliva sample.
PPIP2
To establish the prevalence of neuronal cell surface antibodies including NMDAR, LGI1, GABA-A and others in patients with psychosis.
Participant Eligibility
- Male or female.
- Age range: 18-70.
- Psychotic symptoms – lasting for at least the past two weeks but no longer than two years.
What do participants need to do?
- Provide Blood Sample.
NCMH (National Centre for Mental Health)
We are trying to understand why some people experience problems with their mental health. The purpose of this study is to collect information and samples for genetic, biological, psychological and clinical research. This will allow us to look for genes and other factors which make some people more likely than others to become ill. We hope that our study will improve understanding of these conditions and help find better treatments in the future.
Participant Eligibility
- Participants must be aged 16 and over with capacity.
- Participants aged 16 and 17 must be deemed ‘Gillick competent’ to take part.
- Participants must have lived experience of psychosis and are currently/have been in contact with an Early Intervention Service or 1st Episode Psychosis Service.
What do participants need to do?
- Complete a questionnaire.
- Provide a DNA sample – blood or saliva.
FReSH START
We are looking for volunteers to help find out if a new therapy can help people who experience self-harm.
Participant Eligibility
- Aged 18 or older
- Experienced 4 or more episodes of self-harm.
- Attended hospital as a result of self-harm.
What do participants need to do?
- Complete questionnaires.
- Therapy with a therapist that is FReSH START trained if randomised into it.
QMIN
Take part in a research study to test whether advanced analysis of MRI brain scans can help with the diagnosis and prognosis of people with memory and thinking problems.
Participant Eligibility
- People attending memory clinics.
- Patients in whom the treating clinician considers neuroimaging to be part of the usual diagnostic pathway.
What do participants need to do?
- Have an MRI scan.
ADEPP
This study aims to find out if an antidepressant medication (sertraline) can help to prevent depression in people who have experienced a psychotic episode for the first time.
Participant Eligibility
- Male and females aged 18-65 years.
- Diagnosis of first episode psychosis (FEP).
- Within 12 months of initial treatment for FEP.
- Currently prescribed antipsychotic medication at a stable dose.
What do participants need to do?
- Complete interviews and questionnaires – 8 visits total.
- Have a blood sample taken.
- Take medication (sertraline or placebo) every day for the next 6 months.
Vision Quest
One in three people with psychosis have visions, also known as visual hallucinations. This study aims to develop our understanding of visions in two ways, develop a new measure exploring people’s beliefs about visions and explore the relationships between visions and other issues such as poor sleep, high worry.
Participant Eligibility
- Patients aged 16-65
- Diagnosed with non-affective psychosis
- Have visual hallucinations
What do participants need to do?
- Complete consent form
- Complete a pack of questionnaires that should take 30-45 mins
Validation of the Dehumanisation in Psychosis Scale (DiPS)
The aim of the research is to test a new questionnaire measuring self-dehumanisation in psychosis, which is when a person feels less than human. We are testing to see if the self-dehumanisation questionnaire is both reliable (measures the same thing each time its completed) and valid (correctly measures self-dehumanisation). We hope that this might help us develop better treatments for people in the future.
Participant Eligibility
- Patients aged ≥18 years
- Diagnosis of schizophreniaspectrum disorder OR use of mental health services for experience of distressing psychosis
- Able to speak English well enough to understand study materials
What do participants need to do?
- Complete consent form
- Complete several shot questionnaires
Digital assessment of auditory perception in dementia (DIADEM)
The DIADEM Study is hoping to improve how quickly and accurately people get a diagnosis when they go to a memory clinic.
Participant Eligibility
- You have been to a memory clinic to be assessed.
- You have not been to a memory clinic but would like to be a healthy control participant.
What do participants need to do?
- Complete some Memory questions
- Complete a Hearing test
- Blood test
SPELL
The SPELL study is looking at whether a new exercise programme to stretch the muscles of children with cerebral palsy (CP) is better at improving walking and ability to carry out daily activities, compared to usual NHS physiotherapy treatment.
Participant Eligibility:
- age 4-11 years
- diagnosis of spastic CP (bilateral or unilateral) GMFCS levels I–III
- willing for their community physiotherapy service and GP to be informed of their participation in the trial
- Participant is willing to take part in the study and has a parent/guardian who is willing and able to give informed consent for the child’s participation in the study
Please note: this study also holds exclusion criteria which may affect participant eligibility.
What do participants need to do?
- Physiotherapy assessment to look at the child’s range of movement in their legs and walking speed
- Complete a questionnaire
- Randomised to take part in either 6 sessions of the SPELL exercise intervention over 16 weeks or one session of usual NHS physiotherapy.
- A 6 month follow up appointment with repeat of the physiotherapy assessments and questionnaire
- A further repeat of the questionnaire at 12 months
ROBUST
The ROBUST study is looking at whether a new exercise programme to strengthen the muscles of young people with cerebral palsy (CP) is better at improving walking and ability to carry out daily activities, compared to usual NHS physiotherapy treatment.
Participant Eligibility:
- adolescent aged 12-18 years
- diagnosis of spastic CP (bilateral or unilateral) GMFCS levels I–III
- willing for their community physiotherapy service and GP to be informed of their participation in the trial
- under 16: participant is willing to take part in the study and has a parent/guardian who is willing and able to give informed consent for the child’s participation in the study.
- over 16: participant is willing and able to give informed consent or a Consultee
Please note: this study also holds exclusion criteria which may affect participant eligibility.
What do participants need to do?
- Physiotherapy assessment to look at the child’s muscle strength in their legs and walking speed
- Complete a questionnaire
- Randomised to take part in either 6 sessions of the ROBUST exercise intervention over 16 weeks or one session of usual NHS physiotherapy
- A 6 month follow up appointment with repeat of the physiotherapy assessments and questionnaire
- A further repeat of the questionnaire at 12 months
Count Me In
Part of the NHS Constitution is to offer research to every NHS patient. To help us ensure that we can meet this aim, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust has set up the ‘Count Me In’ initiative.
Count Me In enables us to use patients’ information to contact them about research projects, and to offer them the opportunity to get involved. Under previous policies, participation in research was based on clinicians offering opportunities to our patients. Due to circumstances, time constraints and other factors, not all patients were offered the opportunity to be involved. This will no longer be the case.
Count Me In will enable the Research Team to access clinical records to establish a patient’s potential eligibility to a study. The Research Team will then supply details of the study to eligible patients so that they may consider participation.
No one has to take part in any study and we understand that not all our patients will want to be contacted in this way. Therefore, the Count Me In initiative allows a patient to opt out of research
When a patient is referred to the Trust, initial appointment letters will make patients aware of the ‘Count Me In’ initiative and refer them to this page of the Internet. If patients do not wish to take part in research they can inform us by emailing countmein@ghc.nhs.uk, or by calling 01242 634490 with their name, date of birth and home postcode or first line of the address, and this preference will be recorded in the patient’s medical records held by the Trust.
Should you have any queries with regards to the Count Me In Policy, please contact the Research Team on 01242 634490, or email countmein@ghc.nhs.uk
Performance in Initiating and Delivering Clinical Research
The Government wishes to see a dramatic and sustained improvement in the performance of providers of NHS services in initiating and delivering clinical research. The aim is to increase the number of patients who have the opportunity to participate in research and to enhance the nation’s attractiveness as a host for research.
As part of the oversight of this aim, providers of NHS Services are required to publish information on recruitment to clinical trials and delivery to time and to target for commercial clinical trials. These reports can be found at the following link:
The reports include two tables for each quarter:
Performance in Initiating Clinical Research This report provides information about studies with a date site selected that falls within the last 12 months. This applies to only Clinical Trials approved through the HRA systems. Clinical Trials approved under the old systems are now excluded. The table identifies where delays in set-up and recruitment of first patients have occurred, providing transparency of process. Where Sponsor expectations have not been met by the Trust, this information is recorded. In the table
Performance in Delivering Clinical Research This report provides information about Commercially Sponsored research hosted by Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust in relation to meeting the Time and Target metric (HLO#2) and includes those studies that have closed in the last 12 months.
Where tables are empty, the Trust as reported a “NIL RETURN” for that quarter, meaning that no new Clinical Trials were opened or no Commercially-Sponsored Clinical Trials closed during that period.
If there are any questions about these reports or the benchmarks themselves, please contact Mark Walker, Head of Research and Development on 01242 634491 or mark.walker@ghc.nhs.uk
Our partners
National Institute of Health Research (NIHR)
NIHR is funded by the Department of Health to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. They ensure that the NHS is able to support the research of other funders to encourage broader investment in, and economic growth from, health research.
They work with charities and the life sciences industry to help patients gain earlier access to breakthrough treatments. They also train and develop researchers to keep the nation at the forefront of international research.
Cobalt is a medical imaging charity.
Research4Gloucestershire (R4G)
Research4Gloucestershire is a collaboration between
- Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Gloucestershire CCG, Gloucestershire County Council
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- University of Gloucestershire
- Cobalt Health.
Our Regulator
The Health Research Authority is an executive non-departmental public body (NDPB), sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.
They are one of a number of organisations that work together in the UK to regulate different aspects of health and social care research. Their core purpose is to protect and promote the interests of patients and the public in health and social care research.
In order to achieve this they:
- make sure research is ethically reviewed and approved
- promote transparency in research
- oversee a range of committees and services
- provide independent recommendations on the processing of identifiable patient information where it is not always practical to obtain consent, for research and non-research projects.
