KMPT’s award winning research aims to help save lives

One of our teams in Dartford have been recognised by the national body for health research for their work to develop better treatments for some of the most vulnerable members of our communities

Sadly, a significant number of people who repeatedly attend A&E departments for mental health reasons do so because of problems related to deliberate self-harm. But there is no treatment available in mainstream mental health services to help them.

To bring about positive change, our Dartford liaison psychiatry team are participating in a Leeds University Study, called FReSH START, to develop and evaluate a new therapeutic approach that can be delivered at the right time and in the right place to provide the help these service users need.

They are providing 12 sessions of psychotherapy to anyone that attends their local A&E department because of an episode of deliberate self-harm, and wants to take part. To do this they have been specially trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and deliver this in addition to their very busy existing work.

Dartford Liaison Team Manager Amy-Louise Payne explains why research studies like this are so important to people living in Kent and Medway:

“We’re excited to be part of a trial that has the potential to create better outcomes for our patients. Being part of a research project transcends beyond the care that we deliver on a day-to-day basis. We look forward to continuing our work to support innovation within our field.”

In March the team received a Research Support Award from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR)’s Clinical Research Network Kent, Surrey and Sussex for going above and beyond their usual clinical activity. Despite our liaison practitioners working in an already fast-paced role, they were recognised for their energy, time and compassion talking about research with service users, making it a core part of their service, and showing an exceptional level of initiative and commitment in order to improve the services offered to some of our more vulnerable members of society. 

As the study is still live, the benefits of it are being examined, and the results will be made public when it concludes next year.

If this story has inspired you to help, we always welcome volunteers who want to get involved in our research to improve mental health treatments. We have several studies at the moment still recruiting, many with a focus on dementia.