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Taking part.

The DIAMONDS support programme.

DIAMONDS is a programme of studies led by researchers and clinicians at the University of York. The aim of the programme is to reduce the health inequalities experienced by people with severe mental illness, for example poorer physical health and premature death.   We are testing a support programme to help people with severe mental illness manage long-term conditions, specifically type 2 diabetes.

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We developed the DIAMONDS support programme with service users, carers, and healthcare professionals.

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The programme involves one-to-one meetings with a trained professional, called a ‘DIAMONDS Coach’, who supports the individual to set goals and develop plans to make small lifestyle changes to improve their health.

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We have successfully tested the programme in a small study with 30 participants. Both participants and Coaches enjoyed the programme and found it useful. The next step is to conduct a randomised controlled trial, to find out whether the support programme improves participants’ health. We want to test if the programme lowers people’s blood sugar (HbA1c) and improves wellbeing. The trial will start in Autumn 2022 and run for two years.

Members of DIAMONDS Voice are sitting around a table, smiling at the camera. Some members are standing in the background.

Get involved in the research.

We are currently running a randomised controlled trial of the DIAMONDS support programme across England. If you want to find out more about the study view our infographic by clicking here. If you are interested in taking part in the study, we are currently recruiting from the following locations:

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Bradford through Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Sheffield through Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby through Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield through South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Leeds through Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Hull, the East Riding of Yorkshire, Whitby, Scarborough, and Ryedale through Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Portsmouth and South East Hampshire, South West Hampshire, Mid and North Hampshire and Southampton through Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:​

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Cumbria, Northumberland, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland through Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.  Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly through Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Innovation team to find out how to take part:

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Cambridge and Peterborough through Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust. 

Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

  • Email: R&D@cpft.nhs.uk

  • Tel : 01223 217418

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Gloucestershire through Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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London boroughs of Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth through South West London & St Georges NHS Mental Health Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Somerset, North Somerset, the west of Dorset and north of Devon through Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Devon and South West region through Devon Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Surrey and north east Hampshire through Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

 

Lincolnshire through Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Plymouth, South Hams and West Devon through Livewell Southwest. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Lancashire and South Cumbria through Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Croydon through South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Herefordshire and Worcestershire through Herefordshire & Worcestershire Health & Care NHS Trust.

Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Rotherham, Doncaster and North Lincolnshire through Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Chester, Ellesmere Port, Neston & Willaston, Northwich and Winsford through Cheshire And Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, and Glossop through Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust. Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Birmingham and Solihull through Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Camden and Islington through Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust.

Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Barnet, Enfield and Haringey through Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust.

Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Essex, Luton, Bedfordshire and Suffolk through Essex Partnership Foundation Trust 

Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

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Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire, and Telford & Wrekin through Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Contact the Research and Development team to find out how to take part:

Participant experience.

Nigel's story.

Listen to Nigel:

00:00 / 00:28

Hello, my name is Nigel. I’m 51 years old. I’ve been suffering from mental illness since 1990, 32 years. I suffer from paranoid schizophrenia and other mental illnesses and I’m also a diabetic. I‘ve been suffering from diabetes for 9 years, it’s not been an easy road.   

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00:00 / 00:30

Listen to Nigel:

I was in my local day centre when on the wall I spotted a sign saying about mental health problems, I rang the number and then I left a message, then someone got back to me, and then I joined the DIAMONDS project group and never looked back. That’s how I found out about the group from the local day services.

00:00 / 00:48

Listen to Nigel:

Over a period of months, I would do Zoom meetings with a lady, or I would travel from Sheffield to Leeds and do a booklet. They gave you a booklet to do, and it’s a very good booklet and you can learn from it as well, it’s not just a book that you put down and never pick up it’s a book that you can, it’s a long book where you can learn from. It’s a very good book, and that’s what we did over a period of months learning from the booklet and learning from each other and I found it really a good course to be on the DIAMONDS project.

If you want to find out more about taking part in DIAMONDS, you can contact us at:
diamonds-trial-group@york.ac.uk

Contact us.

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This project is funded by the NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research (project number RP-PG-1016-20003).  The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

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