COMPEERS: COntingency Management and PEER Support Feasibility Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
COMPEERS: A cluster randomised feasibility study of COntingency Management and PEER Support to promote attendance, increase treatment engagement, and improve outcomes for people with dual diagnoses of psychosis and drug/alcohol problems (DDp).
IRAS ID
323042
Contact name
James Duffy
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN90137206
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 9 months, 31 days
Research summary
Background: Around 20% of community mental health team (CMHT) service users have ‘dual diagnoses’ of
psychosis (a serious mental illness involving hearing things others cannot, fearing people mean you harm, low motivation) and drug/alcohol problems (DDp). People with DDp have complex needs with high financial costs to health and community services. Outcomes are worse than for either problem alone or for other mental illnesses. One reason is that both psychosis and the chaotic lifestyle and stigma of drug/alcohol problems make people less likely to attend treatment appointments. Increasing attendance should help improve engagement with treatment leading to better outcomes.
Aim: Conducting a small feasibility pilot of a future large trial evaluating whether Contingency Management (CM, changing behaviour with financial incentives) encourages people with DDp to attend weekly peer support worker appointments (PSW, somebody with lived experience of similar difficulties). Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, over two years, in CMHTs.
CM and PS improve attendance and engagement for people with psychosis or drug/alcohol problems. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) calls for research to test whether combining these approaches can improve attendance at treatment appointments for people with DDp. This study will tell us how to meet this call.
Design and Methods: Six CMHTs in one NHS trust (80 participants) will provide usual treatment (monthly CMHT worker meetings and access to recommended treatments) alongside weekly PS. Half (3/6) will be randomly chosen to also financially reward PS attendance (CM). We will judge feasibility based on: numbers agreeing to participate and providing follow-up data; PS/CM delivery; measurement of outcomes (attendance at peer support, patient/peer/team reported engagement in offered treatment, drug/alcohol use, patient-reported health-related quality of life/satisfaction, crises/relapses/inpatient admissions, treatment and intervention costs). We will interview patients, PSWs, and CMHT staff about the study’s acceptability.REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/LO/0264
Date of REC Opinion
5 Jun 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion