Be part of our research

The ABATE Study is testing a vaccine for Alzheimer’s disease in people with Down syndrome.

People with Down syndrome often get Alzheimer’s disease (a type of dementia) when they get older. Dementia is a disease that causes memory loss and other thinking problems. Dementia due to Alzheimer’s occurs when a protein called amyloid builds up in the brain.

The ABATE study is investigating if the vaccine is safe, how it works inside the body, if it helps to get rid of amyloid build-ups and if it slows down memory loss and thinking problems.

You may be able to join this study if you have Down syndrome, are between 35 and 50 years old and have a study partner.

For more information on what taking part in this study involves, read this leaflet or visit the ABATE website.

If you would like to join this study please contact CPFT's Windsor Research Unit on 
01223 219531 or email wru@cpft.nhs.uk.

RECOLLECT 2 is a five-year research study to better understand Recovery Colleges in England. Over the last decade, Recovery Colleges have rapidly expanded. We want to explore how Recovery Colleges might benefit those that use them. The RECOLLECT 2 research team are made up of researchers from King's College London, The University of Nottingham, and The University of Manchester.

The RECOLLECT 2 research team are working with CPFT's Recovery College East (RCE) Wellbeing Hub. If you have enrolled with RCE Wellbeing Hub you can take part if you are:

• are aged 18 or over
• are accessing local secondary or tertiary NHS mental health services (e.g., a community mental health team, assertive outreach team, outpatient clinic)
• have recently enrolled at a Recovery College participating in RECOLLECT 2 (have attended no more than one introductory Recovery College course or workshop).

What does taking part involve?

Taking part will involve you completing a set of questionnaires at four different time periods over 12 months. This will be as soon as possible after joining the Recovery College, 4 months after joining, 8 months after joining and 12 months after joining. The questionnaires should take under an hour to complete. These may be completed online, via post, or with a researcher present (in person), but may also be completed over the phone, or video call where you will tell the researcher your answers.

The questionnaires will ask you about the following topics: quality of life, recovery, hope, resilience, social inclusion, social networks, service use, your wellbeing, your goals, and how you feel about your Recovery College. The baseline questionnaires will ask you for some optional socio-demographic information as well.

You will also be asked to consent (agree) to allow the researchers to access confidential information in your medical records so that they can find a Trust service user similar to you who is not a Recovery College student. By giving these similar service users the same questionnaire, we can then compare aspects of life between those that enrol at Recovery Colleges and similar service users who do not.

You are free to withdraw your consent to allow researchers to process any of your personal data that you have, without having to give a reason, at any time. If you do change your mind, you can ask researchers to withdraw any of the personal data you have shared and any of your personal information that has been collected from your medical records.

The findings from this study may have many possible direct / indirect benefits for Recovery College staff / students in the future, such as helping to inform future service provision.

If you decide to take part in the study, you will receive a £15 voucher for each set of questionnaires that you complete (£60 in total).

If you have would like to be involved, ask any questions or receive more information about this project, please contact Lilli Waples (RCE Wellbeing Hub Research Assistant) at:  Lilli.Waples@cpft.nhs.uk 

CAMHS and community paediatrics staff at CPFT are invited to participate in a new research study with the University of Cambridge to explore if a web-based mental health assessment tool for young people aged 11-16 might work in primary healthcare. Researchers want to know if you think Artemis-A  would be feasible, acceptable and if there are any barriers to adopt and implement it in healthcare practice. View the study flyer.  

If you and your colleagues are interested in taking part and would like to ask any questions about this study, please contact researcher William Lan or call him on 07923 986707.

Read the participant information sheet for this study.

CPFT is working with the University of Cambridge on research to develop a blood test which can identify how immune cells in the blood are altered in depression. This will help to offer people experiencing depression more personalised care and treatments in future, depending on their blood test results.

The BICBID study is looking for people aged 18 to 60 who are currently experiencing depression, as well as people who have never experienced it. This includes both people who are taking antidepressants, and people who are not. Participants will be asked to make one visit to CPFT’s Windsor Research Unit in Fulbourn to answer questions about their mental health and provide samples.

For this visit, you will receive £100 for your time and effort, plus your travel expenses.
To register your interest and find out more, visit www.bicbid.uk.

CPFT’s CAMEO early intervention service is running the ProNET: Psychosis Risk Outcome Network project to assess and identify young people at risk of psychosis, chosen as one of 26 centres of excellence around the world.

CPFT’s successful bid was announced in 2020, and the research team is now recruiting participants aged 12-30 who have experienced a recent change in thinking, behaviour, or experiences like confusion or paranoia.

Some people may be at higher risk of developing psychosis than others, and participants will have a clinical interview, biological assessments and cognitive testing to understand these risk factors and how to prevent the development of a more serious mental illness.

If you would like to learn more about this study or take part, email the team at: pronet@cpft.nhs.uk.

Take part in the national GLAD study with CPFT, and contribute to the biggest project ever to find the Genetic Links for Anxiety and Depression.

40,000 people are needed (aged 16+, living in the UK) who have experienced clinical levels of depression and/or anxiety. Sign up online here: http://gladstudy.org.uk
If you take part, please record that you heard about the GLAD study from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) in the questionnaire.

Please share the details with family, friends and colleagues and retweet @CPFT_Research.

National Centre for Mental Health - Maternal Mental Health Survey

The National Centre for Mental Health aims to improve diagnosis, treatment and support for people affected by mental illness. We are working with CPFT to understand the impact of life experiences on maternal wellbeing and mental health.

Help us make a difference by completing our maternal wellbeing and mental health survey.
You can take part online by using the following survey link:
https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90338261/msurvey?hb=cambridgeshireandpeterborough

If you have any questions about our research, please contact: info@ncmh.info / 02920 688401

Perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is under-recognised and under-treated, and the obsessions and compulsions can impact people for 9.6 hours per day on average, affecting their quality of life and the parent-child relationship. A new study with CPFT and the University of Sussex is investigating how health care professionals and service managers/commissioners view barriers to treatment, possible solutions and how they can be implemented.

The Open Door Project is a great opportunity for NHS staff to contribute to service development and recommend how we can increase access to support for individuals experiencing perinatal OCD. Colleagues who interact with perinatal populations or manage services which support them (or have held a position like this in the last 10 years) are invited to take part.

Follow this survey link to find out more.

CPFT is running a research study for autistic children aged 4 to 15 years old who have an intellectual disability and no genetic syndrome diagnosed. This fun, remote study involves playing some games with the research team over video conferencing – and they will provide all the toys for participants to keep as a gift for taking part. Parents and carers will be invited to complete questionnaires and an interview, and some children will also be able to take part in a sleep study, using wristwatch devices. All parents or carers will receive a detailed individualised feedback report about their child’s behaviour, executive functioning and sleep (if assessed) to help inform their care.

Please share these details with any families that could take part.
To volunteer, use the code CPFT at this link: www.tinyurl.com/sibeoi.
Contact the Windsor Research Unit with any queries.

Anticonvulsant augmentation trial in Schizophrenia (ATLANTIS)

We are looking for volunteers who are taking antipsychotic treatment for this study.

Volunteers will be reimbursed for their time and inconvenience up to £150.
Reasonable travel expenses will also be paid.

CPFT is working on this national study with King's College London and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. This research has been approved by Northeast - Tyne and Wear South Research Ethics Committee (Ref: 20/NE/0247)

If you are over 18 years of age and interested to find out more about this study, please contact:

Matt Harding - Clinical Research Nurse

Email: matt.harding@cpft.nhs.uk
Phone: 07542 029864

CPFT is working with a team of child psychologists from King’s College London on the OPTYC study to investigate the effectiveness of an online Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) treatment for young people and carers.

Young people aged 12 - 17 can take part if they:

• have PTSD from a single traumatic event
• can read English enough to use the website and app
• have access to a smartphone or computer (e.g. laptop, desktop, computer, iPad) with internet access, in a private space.

If you, or someone you know or care for might be interested, please visit the OPTYC website for more information or contact the OPTYC research team via email optyc@kcl.ac.uk or telephone 0207 848 0580.

CPFT is running a research study with the University of Kent to investigate internet use and safety for adults with intellectual (learning) disabilities.

The current project surveys are asking for views on the risks, barriers, benefits, and opportunities of internet usage, from people with intellectual disabilities, and health and care professionals looking after them.

Find out more and access the surveys here.

Download the easy read version of the Safer Online Lives project information.

Health care professionals and people with Parkinson's are invited to take part in surveys of exercise needs and preferences to improve support.

NIHR ARC East of England researcher Ledia Alushi, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge, is investigating what information people with Parkinson's receive about exercise and physical activity when they are newly diagnosed and as the condition progresses.

This research aims to:

• Understand people's needs and preferences about exercise and physical activity
• Map current available resources
• Co-design with people with Parkinson's and Healthcare Professionals a program to promote exercise and physical activity.

Are you a health care professional working with people with Parkinson’s?

We invite you to take part in an online survey that should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.  Please click on this link to access the survey  

Are you a person with Parkinson’s?

We invite you to take part in an online survey that should take no more than 20 minutes to complete.  Please click on this link to access the survey

If you are interested in the project and want to discuss it further with Ledia please get in touch via email: La463@cam.ac.uk or phone 07931 709730 before 30 September 2021.

Find out more about Ledia's PhD project: Co-designing a physical health education programme for people newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease: a mixed-methods study.