What are the two projects?
These two NIHR funded projects are led by the University of Sheffield, in collaboration with us here at the McPin Foundation among other collaborators across England. Both projects will assess how effective different mental health therapies are in England’s healthcare system, specifically as provided within NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression services. Both projects will run for 3 years, from 1st November 2024 until 31st October 2027.
As an example of how people come into contact with NHS Talking Therapies: if someone is experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression, their GP will likely refer them to these services, or the person can refer themselves.
The studies will compare different talking and digital therapies to look at their comparative effectiveness, if they offer value for money, and how well they work for different groups of people. We will also study if treatment outcomes are impacted by differences between people. For example, based on ethnicity or social deprivation. This could increase our understanding of what NHS therapies work best and for whom.
The studies will use real world data for this purpose, i.e, from England’s NHS Talking Therapies services, hospitals, secondary mental health services, and pharmacies. We will also involve NHS staff and patients to understand benefits and challenges to giving these different therapies.
The main difference between the two projects are the types of digital or talking therapies being compared, as described below.
For more information about the projects, please click here
Find out more
We are looking for 14 people, from a range of backgrounds, with lived experience of accessing NHS Talking Therapies (previously known as Improving Access to Psychological Therapies [IAPT] services) to form a Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) for this project.
The LEAP will:
- help develop the study design and research questions;
- develop ways to explain our study design and results to different audiences;
- receive training, development opportunities, and support throughout their time on the project.
There will be a combination of in-Person and online meetings. In-person meetings will take place either at our McPin office in London, or at the University of Sheffield, depending on geographic spread of our LEAP.
There will be opportunities for the LEAP in-between meetings; for example, being involved in writing, reviewing and creative work, such as aiding write papers, attending conferences, as well as podcasts and social media content.
This opportunity would particularly suit those who are interested in how data collected within the NHS can support policy and decision makers locally and nationally.
The first LEAP meeting will take place on Thursday 30th January, 2025, 12-3.30pm in our London offices with an option to join online.
- Be aged 18+ years and live in England
- Have lived experience of depression and/or anxiety (such as generalised or unspecified anxiety disorder, or PTSD)
- Have accessed NHS Talking Therapies services, previously known as IAPT services, in the last 5 years
- Have an interest in how data collected within the NHS can support policy and decision makers
- Be available to commit to at least six meetings a year, in addition to occasional training sessions
Mental health issues affect everyone. Research does not always reflect this. We particularly encourage those who identify as: neurodivergent, young men, LGBTQ+, ethnic minority, and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to apply.
- Payment of £25/hr for work done/meetings attended
- Payment of £5 towards digital fees to join our online meetings
- A designated McPin point of contact (George and/or Rachel). They will schedule a Zoom webcall with the McPin Foundation before the first meeting to introduce you to the study, discuss what to expect in the meeting and any access/support requirements you have, and to answer any questions about the project. They will be available to offer advice and support along the way to ensure your involvement is a meaningful and enjoyable experience.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please email George [email protected] with brief answers to the following questions.:
- What is your name?
- What is your age?
- What is your nearest train station?
- What is your ethnicity?
- What is your gender?
- What is your sexual orientation?
- Why are you interested in this specific opportunity?
- Please give details of any relevant experience of NHS therapies (silvercloud or digital CBT, talking therapies, group therapies) and anxiety/depression
- Sometimes after talking about topics like mental health, people feel they need a little extra support or someone to chat to. What support do you currently have in place (e.g. supportive friends, family, health professionals or mental health charities)? Is there anything that we could do to support you or make your involvement experience better?
- How did you hear about this opportunity?
You are welcome to send your responses in audio or video format if preferred! If you need any help completing your expression of interest, you can get in touch with George [email protected]
Friday 3rd January 2025
Please note that the McPin Foundation regularly promotes opportunities on behalf of other institutions; we are not responsible for the continuation or contents of further correspondence with any project partners where we are not listed as the project main point of contact.
