NIHRDataInsights/HRCSData huggingface dataset:
Title: Improving depression treatment outcomes by better repairing positivity deficits: Development and pilot randomised controlled trial evaluation of a novel psychosocial therapy.
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: Depression is a major health problem and current psychosocial and pharmacological interventions are only partially effective. Only 50% of people respond to current gold-standard treatments, and of those that do 50% will relapse within two years. Current interventions focus on reducing negativity (thinking/feeling sad and anxious) and neglect building positivity (thinking/feeling happy). It is now evident that an absence of positivity predicts a poor depression prognosis. Therefore, the failure to bolster positivity may contribute to partial response to, and possibly relapse following, current treatment. This proposal will develop a novel psychosocial treatment (Integrated Affective Therapy for Depression; IAT-D) that equally weights reducing negativity and building positivity. In Stream One, IAT-D will be developed by translating findings from positivity basic science research. Further, IAT-D will be co-designed alongside service-users/clinicians using a validated implementation science methodology, maximising the likelihood that IAT-D will be fit for NHS context. In Stream Two, a pilot study will assess the feasibility of a planned trial design contrasting IAT-D to current best practice in the NHS (High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy; CBT-TAU). Further, surrogate analyses will evaluate if IAT-D is more effective at building positivity than CBT-TAU. If Stream Two results are promising, in year five of the fellowship an application will be submitted to HTA or MRC-EME funding schemes to run a definitive trial evaluating IAT-D.

Lay abstract: Depression is a major public health problem and better talking therapies are needed. Current depression talking therapies are effective at reducing negativity (thinking/feeling sad) but fail to repair positivity (thinking/feeling happy). Given that reduced positivity predicts a severe depression course, treatment outcomes may be improved if talking therapies more successfully build positivity. This project will develop alongside service-users a novel depression talking therapy that simultaneously reduces negativity and builds positivity. A pilot study will assess the feasibility of a trial design evaluating how well this novel treatment promotes recovery from depression and keeps people well, compared to current best practice.

Research activity codes: 6.6 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Autism-spectrum disorders: treating co-morbid social anxiety disorder with adapted cognitive behaviour therapy
Funder: Health Education England

Abstract: Individuals with autism-spectrum disorders (ASD) experience high rates of social anxiety disorder (SAD). This study will investigate SAD in adults with ASD, and will develop and pilot a cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) intervention. A mixed methods approach will be used, comprising qualitative and quantitative methods. Expected outcomes include a potentially effective targeted intervention for individuals with ASD who are socially anxious. The findings will inform the design of formulation-based and personalised CBT interventions for individuals with ASD.

Lay abstract: Individuals with autism-spectrum disorders (ASD) experience high rates of social anxiety disorder (SAD). This study will investigate SAD in adults with ASD, and will develop and pilot a cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) intervention. A mixed methods approach will be used, comprising qualitative and quantitative methods. Expected outcomes include a potentially effective targeted intervention for individuals with ASD who are socially anxious. The findings will inform the design of formulation-based and personalised CBT interventions for individuals with ASD.

Research activity codes: 5.6 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL;6.6 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Mental Health
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: Distinctively integrated within the Cambridge BRC as part of the Brain and Mind Health supertheme, ‘Mental Health’ aims to discover novel treatment options for patients in an emerging era of precision psychiatry. Precision psychiatry means we aim to combine psychiatry, clinical psychology, neuroscience and cognate biomedical and physical sciences, informed by lived experience, social and ethical perspectives, to find new treatments for mental health disorders, and new ways of identifying the patients most likely to benefit from them. Objectives are: Short-term:  build large new population and NHS clinical cohorts of cognitively, biologically and genetically well-characterised young people with mental health symptoms and syndromes;  expand experimental medicine platforms for cognitive profiling and psychological interventions, for molecular and immuno-phenotyping, and for neuroimaging; Medium-term:  validate psychological and biological markers for stratification and prediction of treatment response in subgroups of patients with autism, addiction, depression, psychosis, PTSD, OCD;  deliver proof-of-concept for new therapeutic interventions, including novel psychological treatments as well as new drugs co-developed in partnership with industry; Long-term:  improve NHS treatment options by supporting prioritised therapeutic innovations to progress beyond proof-of-concept, and by integrating patient stratification tools into clinical practice;  transform the strategic outlook for the UK’s international leadership of biomedical and psychological innovation in mental health research, working in national partnership with other BRCs: o to integrate systems that provide NHS patient with access to research o to harmonise infrastructure for experimental medicine in mental health o to optimise the training and early career development of next-generation leaders of precision psychiatry


Research activity codes: 4.5 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (DETECTION)
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Clinical and Population Informatics
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: Aims 1. Extend clinical and population mental health data resources through online recruitment platforms and enhanced clinical databases. 2. Apply these data resources for improving physical health outcomes, supporting precision psychiatry and novel therapeutics, and delivering informatics-based interventions. 3. Export data-generation / processing tools though a national e-network for mental health informatics. Objectives Short term  Deliver databases linking mental health and acute / primary care, describing healthcare received for the primary physical disorder groups underlying lower life expectancy in mental disorders (e.g., cardiovascular disease, cancer).  Produce a suite of natural language processing algorithms for in-depth profiling of routine interventions, indications and outcomes, supporting cross-disorder phenotyping.  Extend and adapt the PROTECT dementia risk profiling online platform to collect mental health risk profiles in young adults, and as a prototype for maintaining clinical research cohorts after discharge from mental healthcare. Medium term  Report points of inequality in physical healthcare for SLaM patients with severe mental disorders, informing interventions for improving life expectancy and national monitoring programmes.  Deliver at least three bespoke clinical databases for intervention response analysis and / or drug repurposing. Long term  Establish data linkage and natural language processing hubs as a national resource.  Coordinate networks of at least three independent sites contributing data for intervention response and repurposing analysis.  Complete prototypes for decision support applications in the clinical or shared record.


Research activity codes: 2.6 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (AETIOLOGY)
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Technology
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: Aims: The role of the Technology theme is twofold. First, to support the three clinical themes, plus the Evaluation & Implementation theme by providing technological solutions to validated clinical unmet needs, and second to develop and explore within an innovation pipeline the application of emergent technologies (e.g. drawn from technology sector and NIHR BRCs) with the potential to transform mental healthcare. Objectives: Short term (1 year)  Establish 5 MindTech inter-disciplinary ‘Internships’ drawn from industry, computer science and NHS clinicians.  Proof of concept (PoC) study; 'BuzzBeats' using commercially available smart watches to deliver neuro-stimulatory therapy for CYP with tics (Craven).  Conduct workshops with NIHR BRC strategic partners (Nottingham, Oxford, Maudsley) to identify promising technologies that address JLA PSP priorities and have potential for commercialisation and/or widespread translation into mental health practice e.g. virtual reality therapy for paranoia (Freeman, Oxford Health BRC); RMT for early relapse detection in bipolar disorder (Crowe, Morriss; Nottingham BRC). Medium term (2-3 years)  Submission of at least 3 funding applications based on successful PoC studies and promising technologies 'pulled through' from BRCs.  Clinical trial and commercialisation of technology to detect ADHD and ASD developed by MindTech HTC (Valstar, Daley).  Commencement of 5 new UX/feasibility studies in partnership with service users and clinical staff (informed by Horizon Scanning activities). Long term (4-5 years)  Completion of clinical evaluations.  Support widespread NHS adoption (via AHSNs) of at least one proven digital intervention e.g. ProReal avatar-based CBT in CAMHS; early warning signs (EWS) RMT detection in bipolar disorder (Crowe, Morriss; Nottingham BRC).


Research activity codes: 5.9 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (TREATMENT DEVELOPMENT);6.9 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (TREATMENT EVALUATION);4.5 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (DETECTION)
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Adult mental health and mood disorders
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: Aims:  To generate NHS 'pull' and build capacity for delivering technological innovations for a broad range of mental health problems in primary, secondary mental health, general health and forensic settings.  Address unmet mental health needs through iterative co-production between developers of the technology (e.g. industry and academic BRC 'push'), the users of the technology and NHS clinicians and services.  Evaluate the effectiveness, acceptability, usability and uptake by service users with mental disorder and NHS services of co-produced digital technology interventions. Objectives: Short term (1 year)  Engage with strategic partners to implement JLA PSP priorities by 'pulling through' promising technologies from BRCs.  PoC and UX testing of early warning sign (EWS) sensing for people with depression, mania and psychosis (NIHR Nottingham BRC; Morriss, Crowe).  Work with NHS England and OxAHSN (IAPT network) on pilot evaluation of new digital IAPT services. Medium term (2-3 years)  Set up local MindTech MIC clinical network to test combinations of new technology.  Work with OxAHSN and AHSNs nationally to implement PReDicT test.  Externally funded RCT of neuroimaged guided intermittent theta burst stimulation for chronic depression in primary care and IAPT services with Magstim Ltd and Nottingham BRC (Morriss, Liddle, Auer). Long term (4-5 years)  Set up of a national MindTech MIC clinical network to test combinations of new technology.  Support widespread NHS adoption (via AHSNs) of at least one proven digital intervention e.g. virtual reality therapy for paranoia (Freeman, Oxford Health BRC); early warning signs (EWS) relapse detection in bipolar disorder (Crowe, Morriss; Nottingham BRC)


Research activity codes: 4.5 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (DETECTION);5.9 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (TREATMENT DEVELOPMENT);6.9 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (TREATMENT EVALUATION)
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Evaluation & Implementation
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: Aims: The aims of this theme are to identify, develop, test and disseminate best practice in:  Selecting, developing and optimising promising digital technologies in mental healthcare.  Determining effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and potential population impact of digital technologies.  Implementing digital technologies into routine NHS care. Objectives: Short term (1 year)  Hold a 2 day workshop of MindTech strategic partners to identify areas for future research in selecting, developing and optimising digital health technologies.  Hold a workshop with JLA PSP Steering Committee to identify research questions and study designs to address the JLA PSP's 'top-10' priorities. Medium term (2-3 years)  With the three clinical themes, develop and submit up to 5 applications for grant funding which include embedded methodological research across the spectrum of technology design, evaluation and implementation.  Hold a 2nd two-day international workshop (with UCL, London Diagnostics MIC and MRC), on novel and faster trial designs and 'smart' health economic evaluations for digital health technologies. Publish and disseminate proceedings.  Hold a workshop for NHS commissioners (with OxAHSN and EMAHSN) on methods for evaluating effectiveness, reach and value of DHIs when embedded in MIC Competition 2016 Reference: MIC-2016-003 Date submitted: 25 January 2017 Page 46 of 79 NHS services. Long term (4-5 years)  Hold a 3rd two-day workshop, focusing on implementing digital technologies into routine NHS care.  Develop and disseminate a MindTech Toolkit of available resources, guidance and methodological approaches to developing, evaluating and implementing digital health technologies.


Research activity codes: 8.5 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (HEALTH SERVICES)
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Understanding and improving the assessment process for talking therapies: a user-led research programme
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: Experiential evidence from service users suggests that talking therapy assessments are problematic, yet this issue is absent from the research agenda. This proposal is for a user-led research programme exploring enactments and experiences of talking therapy assessments and how these can be improved. Study one will systematically review relevant international literature. In study two, dyads of service users and assessors will be interviewed and the convergence/divergence of accounts explored through thematic analysis. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis will explore service users lived experiences in more depth. Finally, study three will use consensus methods to generate full clinical guidelines on talking therapy assessments.

Lay abstract: Experiential evidence from service users suggests that talking therapy assessments are problematic, yet this issue is absent from the research agenda. This proposal is for a user-led research programme exploring enactments and experiences of talking therapy assessments and how these can be improved. Study one will systematically review relevant international literature. In study two, dyads of service users and assessors will be interviewed and the convergence/divergence of accounts explored through thematic analysis. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis will explore service users lived experiences in more depth. Finally, study three will use consensus methods to generate full clinical guidelines on talking therapy assessments.

Research activity codes: 6.6 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Promoting the health literacy, participation and decision-making of adults with learning disabilities in healthcare: an investigation into the use of Easy Read health information in health consultations.
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: There is mounting evidence that pwld (people with learning disabilities) experience marked health inequalities. Difficulties with health literacy, meaning the capacity to make sense of and use health information, contribute to the negative health outcomes faced by this group. Healthcare providers are increasingly aware of their responsibility to provide accessible health information for patients with learning disabilities using an Easy Read format. This study will explore learning disabled people's views of this health information, investigate how this health information is used during actual health consultations and evaluate its effectiveness in enhancing the health literacy of pwld.

Lay abstract: There is mounting evidence that pwld (people with learning disabilities) experience marked health inequalities. Difficulties with health literacy, meaning the capacity to make sense of and use health information, contribute to the negative health outcomes faced by this group. Healthcare providers are increasingly aware of their responsibility to provide accessible health information for patients with learning disabilities using an Easy Read format. This study will explore learning disabled people's views of this health information, investigate how this health information is used during actual health consultations and evaluate its effectiveness in enhancing the health literacy of pwld.

Research activity codes: 7.3 MANAGEMENT AND DECISION MAKING
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Talking Together: An early evaluation of a home-based language support programme for families of children aged 2 years.
Funder: Nuffield Foundation

Abstract: This project seeks to evaluate a well-established home-visiting programme ‘Talking Together’ (TT) a manualised early language intervention run by BHT Early Education and Training in Bradford as part of the Better Start Bradford programme. Currently, there are few evaluated home-visiting interventions for young children identified as at risk of language delay. TT works with parents to enrich the home learning environments of two-year-old children from low socioeconomic backgrounds and culturally and linguistically diverse families. This project will establish the feasibility of a future large scale RCT of the programme and explore trends in outcomes for children and parents as well as assessing initial evidence of promise.


Research activity codes: 3.1 PRIMARY PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOURS OR PROMOTE WELL-BEING
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Using dynamic learning tasks to identify children at-risk of reading disorder
Funder: Nuffield Foundation

Abstract: Current screening tests to identify children who might benefit from reading interventions use traditionally static measures which do not always discern whether children’s poor performance stems from an underlying learning disorder or from environmental factors such as reduced English language exposure at home. This project will trial three dynamic learning tasks focused on decoding, orthographic learning and vocabulary. The team will assess whether these dynamic tests are more accurate and less susceptible to cultural and linguistic biases in predicting reading growth, and if successful, will standardise these tasks as screening tools for use by practitioners within the UK context. Low literacy is related to a range of poor life outcomes and better early identification will enable timely intervention that will improve the life chances of many young children.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS;4.2 EVALUATION OF MARKERS AND TECHNOLOGIES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Using Research Evidence: Transforming the field
Funder: Nuffield Foundation

Abstract: This project will convene a two day international and interdisciplinary conference to strengthen the use of evidence and improve the implementation of evidence in practice and policy. In recent years a growing community of scholars have emerged with an interest in improving the use of evidence. Yet there is still little opportunity for these interdisciplinary scholars to have fruitful and meaningful collaborations across sectors. This has led to the valuable work being contained in silos and research/practice developments being duplicated across different disciplinary areas. This conference will enable these conversations across disciplines and traditions to take place, between those engaged in producing and using knowledge, and between those who ‘do’ evidence mobilisation for policy and practice, and those who research and critique it.


Research activity codes: 8.3 POLICY, ETHICS AND RESEARCH GOVERNANCE
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Opportunity-Led Research Proposal: A Cluster RCT pilot of the 'Good Behaviour Game' in disadvantaged areas
Funder: Health and Social Care Research and Development Division (HSC R&D) of Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland

Abstract: Brief synopsis of research. The Good Behaviour Game (GBH) is a classroom management programme for primary schools that positively impacts on health (eg bullying, alcohol use, smoking, mental health) and education outcomes (eg literacy, numeracy, school completion) in the short, medium and long-term (follow-up data to age 18-21). The proposal is to conduct a feasibility study of the GBG in primary schools in disadvantaged areas in Northern Ireland. The GBG will be implemented in 10 primary schools across primary years 2 to 3 (ie pupils aged 5-7), with a further 10 schools as the control group (schools that have had Roots of Empathy exposure will not be sampled). One to two staff will be trained as GBG coaches who will deliver the teacher training and provide the year-long supervision of the teachers. The pilot study has been designed as three year PhD project. The evaluation study will focus on a) the effectiveness in reducing early risk factors, such as educational attainment and classroom behaviour (eg disruptive and pro-social/cooperative behaviours; RCT element) and b) a process evaluation using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The latter will examine implementation and fidelity issues (including acceptability to teaching staff) as well as children’s satisfaction with the programme. Although the school and teacher perspective is important for further implementation, the children’s views can count as service user involvement. This age group is rarely involved in exploring service provision and such work does not seem to have featured in the many trials conducted elsewhere, thus providing a novel academic angle and meeting obligations around the UNCRC.


Research activity codes: 3.1 PRIMARY PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOURS OR PROMOTE WELL-BEING
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH