City St George’s awarded grant to improve support for carers of people with psychosis

Researchers from City St George’s, University of London and collaborators have been awarded over £520,000 from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to investigate how to improve the support for people caring for a friend or family member with psychosis via social care.

The 30-month project, titled “Co-producing social and community support resources for family carers of people with psychosis” (OSMOSIS), will begin in September. It is among the first to be funded under the NIHR’s new funding stream, the Research Programme for Social Care (RPSC).

City St George’s researchers, with collaborators at the University of Surrey and the University of Kent, will partner with local authorities and third sector organisations  to deliver the project. Partners include the Bromley by Bow Centre, Carers Centre Tower Hamlets and Care for the Carers.

The OSMOSIS team is led by Professor Jacqueline Sin, Professor of Mental Health Nursing at City St George’s. Public, patient and carer involvement and engagement (PPIE) activities will be co-led by Naomi Mead from the Bromley by Bow Centre and Sharon Galliford , a lived experience expert based in University of Surrey.

Professor Sin, co-principal investigator of the project, said:

“We’re so excited to have been awarded funding for the OSMOSIS project – it really gives us the opportunity to engage with a wide range of carers and involve them in co-producing truly meaningful and useful support resources for themselves.”

At the centre of the research is the voice of the carers themselves. The OSMOSIS researchers will work with diverse carers who provide long-term unpaid support for a loved one affected by psychosis to map resources and local services currently available to them in these areas.

From this, the team will identify examples of good practice and gaps. They will also ask carers about their experience of accessing and receiving support, and staff about delivering support, to find out what helps or hinders. Lastly, building on what they have learnt, the researchers will work with carers and staff to co-design resources that will improve support for psychosis carers and create implementation support tools.

Naomi Mead, Head of Impact at the Bromley by Bow Centre, said she's looking forward to the project, noting that carers of people with psychosis face a unique set of challenges - and therefore a unique suite of support is required in response.

"That's what this practical research aims to achieve," said Naomi, "making lives a little bit easier and more manageable for carers who are doing remarkable work."

Dr Cassie Hazell, Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at the University of Surrey and co-principal investigator of the project, said:

“We are delighted to receive this funding from the Research Programme for Social Care. This project offers an opportunity to create the support that carers of people with psychosis want and need. We are excited to work with local authorities, charities, and carers, to ensure this work is implemented and makes a real difference to the lives of psychosis carers.”