LEND project update: recruitment, narratives and next steps

The study has been accepted for portfolio status. This is an important milestone for NIHR-funded research, as it supports recruitment and means that recruitment activity can contribute to national research portfolio reporting.

The team discussed early planning for recruitment and randomisation in the later stages of the study. This included thinking through how best to involve both people living with dementia and carers, particularly where they may take part together or provide linked information.

Work is progressing on the development of the LEND intervention. The team has been reviewing feedback from LEAP groups and using this to shape the design of the website and the way stories will be selected, presented, and recommended. Updates to the prototype will be shared with public contributors at a future LEAP meeting.

The project team has also been working on the collection of dementia-related narratives. Many potential stories have been identified; appropriate permissions and consent processes will be in place before any narratives are used in the intervention.

Alongside this, the team is continuing to analyse qualitative feedback from LEAP workshops. This work will help develop a clearer model of how lived experience narratives may support people living with dementia and carers, and how those stories can be used in a safe, meaningful, and accessible way.

We’re making progress with ethics, with updated approval now in place. The next phase will include a review of the project timeline, setting up the external steering group, and developing the publication plan.