Research

The Mental Health Research Network has launched a new service to make it easy for researchers to gain fast and free access to expert advice
from people with experience of mental health problems about research proposals.

By using FAST-R, research teams will be able to demonstrate they have met some of the patient and public involvement criteria demanded by
funding organisations and ethics committees. And FAST-R may help speed the regulatory approval process by highlighting any potential stumbling
blocks to ethics, R&D approval or Mental Health Research Network adoption, allowing researchers to make any necessary changes before a proposal is considered.

FAST-R stands for Feasibility and Support to Timely recruitment for Research and the service is provided by people with experience of mental
health problems and family members who are supported by the MHRN's South London and South East Hub. They have all been specially trained
and have all signed MHRN confidentiality agreements.

They can advise on recruitment strategies and potential recruitment barriers and help researchers make sure information for potential
participants such as patient information sheets and consent forms is clear and easily understood.

Any researcher with a mental health research project in England can submit study documents to FAST-R. The team aims to provide feedback
within seven working days.The FAST-R service is easily accessed via a short online submission form on the MHRN website.

fast-r-service.html