Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP): Update and Postcard

A quick update for the LEAP-

1) We are nearly half way through the PRIMROSE clinical trial which is aiming to test whether a primary care led service for managing cardiovascular risk can lower cholesterol and improve health outcomes for people with severe mental illnesses

2) We are aiming to recruit 70 GP practices by June 2015 and have recruited 48 GP practices to date

3) Of 350 patients we have recruited 131 patients so far.

We have also started a qualitative research study, which has just been submitted to ethics and will involve two researchers recruited from the LEAP. This will be looking at why people engage in research and trials like PRIMROSE or not.

Message/ Postcard-

We also need your advice. What do you think would be the best way to keep patients involved in between 6 and 12 month appointments at their GPs? Would it be good to send people a message, such as a postcard, to keep people engaged in PRIMROSE and the service? What should it say (e.g. thank you) and look like.

Ideas most welcome!

Email:
bengray@mcpin.org

The Primrose Project: User- Led Research

The Primrose project is entering a very exciting phase and recruiting people from GP surgeries with mental health problems at risk of heart disease. The intervention will be tested on these participants to see if it can help people to improve their physical and heart health. The intervention is a practice nurse service in GP surgeries aimed at improving people's physical and heart health.

The LEAP is also entering an exciting phase. Two peer researchers have been selected from the main LEAP to conduct user- led research on why people choose to participate in research like Primrose or not. The aim is to improve the recruitment and engagement of people in future studies and trials.

A main LEAP will be held at the end of this research, late 2015, so that everyone stays involved and to get feedback from the LEAP.

Merry Christmas to Everyone on the LEAP: A Festive Message.

Merry Christmas to everyone on our Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) for the Primrose project!

After some very minor teething problems, Primrose is now recruiting people with mental health problems at risk of heart disease to the trial. In other words, the service in GP surgeries will soon be trialled to see if it is effective in helping people better manage their physical health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The LEAP has been instrumental in helping with this, as some of you will know we developed a user-friendly information leaflet to recruit people to the trial.

Other news is that three people from the LEAP have been selected to work as peer researchers. This user- led research is currently under development and will start in March 2015 (something to look forward to in the New Year!).

Linking in with the Primrose project, this user- led research will look at why people become engaged in research and health services (or not!). The aim is to improve people’s engagement with research and with health services. This is a small scale study and in-depth interviews will be carried out with up to 20 participants. The peer researchers will be supported and trained to use their own lived experience explicitly within the research process following a participatory and user- led approach.

Finally, a meeting for everyone in the main LEAP is scheduled for Summer 2015 (when it will hopefully be a bit warmer!). We will be in touch with updates, so until then have a great Christmas and New Year!

Many thanks for all your contribution and involvement with the very successful LEAP.

LEAP Meeting

A very successful and well attended LEAP meeting was held in July.

The meeting drew together the larger LEAP. They looked at and reworked the information leaflet to recruit people to the trial in GP surgeries.

The group also discussed a user- led research project to be run by a small group of service users and carers from the LEAP. It is hoped to conduct user- led research by people from the LEAP.

The issue of recruitment to trials and engagement with the Primrose service was highlighted as a possible research project.

Next LEAP: 24th July 2014

The next LEAP is scheduled for the 24th July.

We will be in touch with LEAP members in due course.

Latest LEAP Activity

The LEAP intervention development group met last month at a very interesting and positively received meeting.

Members of the LEAP have recently given feedback in a number of areas, including: the Primrose information leaflet in GP surgeries; the Primrose information letter and reply slip; and questionnaires.

Members of the LEAP have also been contacted to ask if they want their names to appear on the Primrose website and nurse training manual, as an acknowledgement of their important involvement and contribution in the Primrose project.

Ben is drafting a paper, 'experts by experience', that ties his lived experience of mental illness with the work of the LEAP.

Latest News (Dec 2013)

A mock nurse consultation has been held with two people from the LEAP. A nurse piloted the service in primary care for people with mental health problems at risk of heart disease (CVD). Feedback will ensure that the service is relevant, meaningful and acceptable to people with mental health problems and carers.

Members of the LEAP have also given feedback about a questionnaire to be used in the PRIMROSE project.

A LEAP intervention development group for 8 people is being planned for early February 2014. Ben will be in touch with a date in due course.