A HEALTH trust has risen to the top of the charts for the most people recruited to take part in research studies.

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust recruited 1.908 people to 36 studies supported by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) in 2016/17.

Among the trust’s studies is a trial exploring how to lower smoking rates in people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

People with mental illnesses are more likely to smoke and figures show they consume 42 per cent of tobacco in England, and 53 per cent of those with schizophrenia and 48 per cent with bipolar die of smoking-related illnesses.

The Smoking Cessation Intervention for severe Mental Ill Health Trial (SCIMITAR+) is comparing routine GP support for stopping smoking, with a new programme of one-to-one support in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

The intervention involved Oxford Health referring their patients to eight to 12 weekly, 30 to 45-minute sessions with a mental health practitioner, helping them to quit by tackling issues such as coping with cravings and setting a new routine.

Christina Cusack, the study’s lead research assistant, said: “This study has helped us identify that it is difficult to demonstrate the importance of smoking cessation to mental health professionals, as many feel service users have a lot going on as it is and quitting smoking isn’t most important to them.”

Results from the study will be published in 2018.

For more information visit: oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/research/news