BSMS projects given funding with JCRO support

Following the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) in Kent Surrey and Sussex (KSS) making funding available for COVID-19-related research, the Joint Clinical Research Office (JCRO) has been supporting applications by its partner organisations, which includes the University of Sussex, University of Brighton, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Sussex Partnership Foundation NHS Trust and BSMS.

Since applications opened, there have been two rounds of funding. In the first closed round, seven applications in total were submitted from across the region, with four of these being granted funding. JCRO supported four out of the seven applications, with two of them coming from colleagues at BSMS. These include:

How has COVID-19 affected the quality of life, wellbeing, and care of people diagnosed with dementia and their family carers? A nested Time for Dementia sub study, led by Dr Stephanie Daley and the Centre for Dementia Studies.
How can community-based care settings for individuals vulnerable to COVID-19 mortality be supported in receiving returning or new clients? A mixed methods study, led by Prof Jackie Cassell.

In round two, 33 applications were received from across the region. ARC KSS funded six of these, with a further two projects coming from BSMS. These include:

Co-producing public health resources about COVID-19 to meet the needs of elderly ethnic minorities, led by Dr Priya Paudyal.
'Remote' memory clinic: responding to the clinical need in times of COVID-19 restrictions - an evaluation of feasibility, clinical utility and safety, led by Dr Gosia Raczek.

Dr Priya Paudyal and Prof Jackie Cassell have been successful in securing £20,000 funding for their study, which is a partnership between BSMS, Sussex Business School, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, the University of Surrey and the ARC KSS. The project involves working with elderly BAME communities within the KSS region to develop culturally and linguistically appropriate health communication resources on COVID-19.

Priya, the PI of the project, says: "Providing accessible and understandable information is really important for educating, empowering and improving COVID-19 related health outcomes, especially in BAME groups which have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. We are really excited about this project which aims to develop and implement resources tailored to the needs of these communities."

Commenting on the funding awards, Prof Malcolm Reed, Dean at BSMS, says: “This is a fantastic result for BSMS and JCRO. This collaboration forms the basis of our plans to build a more coordinated approach to clinical research across the KSS region."

Tanya Telling, Head of the JCRO, and Prof Jackie Cassell, Deputy Dean at BSMS, discuss the collaboration between BSMS and the JCRO, and how researchers are adapting to COVID-19. Watch the video below.

The JCRO is an exciting new initiative bringing together two universities and two local NHS Trusts, to deliver an integrated and effective approach to clinical research management and support across all four partner organisations, The four partner organisations are the University of Sussex, the University of Brighton, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust and the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Find out more on their website below.