Research and Development Team race ahead of target
Huge congratulations are in order for our colleagues in Research and Development who hit their recruitment target for the financial year nearly four months early!
The team had met its annual target of recruiting 650 people to join research studies by early December covering mental health and dementia as well as the Yorkshire Health Study – an ongoing study following the lives of thousands of people in the county.
The team’s recruitment target is set by the National Institute for Health Research but when they reached it they then set their sights even higher, with an aim to recruit 650 people to trials (excluding the Yorkshire Health Study) which they successfully met in early January.
Alison Thompson, Head of Research and Development, said: “We’ve got a really good team who know what they’re doing. We use lots of different strategies and reach out to people in diverse settings which is really paying off.
“We are keen to encourage staff, service users, carers, friends and families to support research not just by taking part but by using their knowledge and experiences.”
Pamela Liversidge, who has taken part in a study to see if a common blood pressure drug will slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, said: “I was more than happy to help out with the trial. Even if it doesn’t help me now it may help someone else in the future. Everyone involved in the trial has been really helpful and made things really easy for me.”
The Trust has teams in two locations, with research into adult mental health services and dementia based in Leeds and the Child Oriented Mental Health Intervention Centre (COMIC) in York.