Project details

Summary

What is the study about? 

An Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) service offers treatment in the community to people with a first episode of psychosis. Psychosis is a severe form of mental illness with hallucinations and delusions. EIP offers care that includes medication, talking therapies, education about psychosis, physical health advice, support for families, and regular contact. Research has shown that EIP is effective, that people prefer it to other forms of treatment.

EIP is meant to be offered for up to three years to every person eligible for care. After this time, people who are well are discharged to their GP, while those with ongoing needs are transferred to the care of a general community mental health team. People can become unwell at this time of change and might benefit from longer treatment with EIP. We also know that some people who are well could possibly have been discharged back to their GP earlier. We want to develop a more tailored approach based on the needs of each individual and understand the health, social, and cost-benefits of this approach.

What are you trying to find out?

The reason for this research is that we do not know what is the optimum time that people should remain in Early Intervention services. This study is part of a larger programme of work which will help the research team make suggestions for the optimum time for the duration of Early Intervention services. 

This qualitative study is part of a larger programme of work. In this study, we will interview people treated by EIP services at the time of their discharge, carers, health care professionals and managers who commission care to understand why and how decisions about care are made. Interviews enable people to tell their stories which will provide the researcher insight into their experiences.

Our entire research will be overseen by a group of EIP service users and carers. This group, led by a service user and carer, will help us to make sure the research is explained clearly; help us create the questions that are important for our interviews; and help us develop, promote and share our research and findings.

What does taking part involve?

1. You are invited to take part in an interview conducted by a researcher from Keele University. The interview will be held at a place and time convenient to you (e.g. at your home address, Keele University or other place; or by telephone or online platform – depending on your preference and COVID-19 restrictions.). 
2. You will be asked to sign a consent form stating that you agree to take part in the study. This is to record that you have read this information sheet, understand what the research study is about, and that you agree to take part as described.
3. During the interview we will discuss your personal experiences of the Early Intervention service, the care you received, and experience of discharge. We will also discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected your emotional wellbeing and care provided to you.
4. The researcher will ask you to share details of your General Practitioner (GP) so that if you do become distressed during the interview, the researcher can support you in contacting your GP.
5. With your permission, we will audio-record the interview and write this up for our analysis. We expect the interview to last around 45 minutes. You can ask a family member or carer to take part in the interview with you, if you wish. 
6. The recorded interview will be typed up by a professional transcribing company or the researcher who conducted the interview. The recorded interview will be deleted after it has been typed up.

Who is it for?

• Service users: someone who is about to be discharged, or has recently been discharged from local Early Intervention services
• Carers: providing care for someone who is about to be discharged, or has recently been discharged from an Early Intervention in Psychosis service
• Health care professionals either working in an Early Intervention in Psychosis service or have patients who may receive care from this type of service 
• Stakeholders: a manager or commissioner of mental health services 

Why is it important? 

This study is part of a larger programme which aims to improve the provision of care by Early Intervention services. Your contribution will be valuable in enabling us to learn more about people's experiences of Early Intervention service and decisions made around discharge. We hope that the research will lead to an improvement to services in the future. 

How can I find out more?

You can find out more information about taking part in this study by downloading the key documents at the top of this page. 

If you are interested in taking part in this study, or have questions for the research team, click the button below to email the research team:

Email the research team