Research Hero of the Month - November

This month, we want to recognise Dr Tom Riley for his support as a Super Referrer for the DIAMONDS RCT study!

The Research & Development Team love to hear from clinicians who would like to support research in any way they can. We were delighted when Tom contacted us to express his interest in the DIAMONDS study and asked how he could help. We met with Tom to discuss DIAMONDS, which is a randomised controlled trial that aims to assess the effectiveness of a self-management programme for people with type 2 diabetes and a serious mental illness (SMI). 

After our meeting, Tom went away and not only thought about people on his caseload who might meet the eligibility criteria for the study but also made his colleagues aware of the study and encouraged them to identify service users from their caseloads. This has been massively helpful in reaching potential participants across his service and has made Tom a Super Referrer! 

When we informed Tom that we would like to recognise him as a research hero, he said he felt he hadn’t done much. Our heroes don’t always realise the difference that they make. Still, with clinicians like Tom referring eligible service users to us, it is much easier for us to identify potential participants. We want to thank Tom for helping us reach the people in his service who may appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the research as a volunteer participant. We hope that some may benefit from taking part in the new diabetes self-management programme as well.

Tom said: “Following the monthly update email, I contacted the research team to ask about available opportunities within LYPFT for core trainees to get involved. I learned about the DIAMONDS study and was interested in how I could support this within the CMHT. The research team arranged some helpful initial meetings in which the project was explained to me, and resources were shared. I took this information back to my team via email and at the local team meeting. I worked with colleagues to identify patients within the wider service who could be appropriate for the project and referred them to the study team. The research team were incredibly helpful in following up on these referrals and have been supportive throughout the process.”

The DIAMONDS study is recruiting until next summer (2024). If you work with someone who has type 2 diabetes and a serious mental illness, please get in touch. We might be able to offer them the opportunity to join the study. Contact Lisa Hackney on 07980956795; lisa.hackney1@nhs.net