IPS-Y: feasibility study report

Key insights

Overall, progression to a full-scale trial is feasible and justified, subject to completion of key set-up activities and successful achievement of pilot progression criteria.

While uncertainties remain around recruitment, retention, governance approvals and implementation mobilisation, these were considered manageable and appropriate for testing through a nested internal pilot.

There was sufficient support and demand for IPS-Y and the conditions necessary for the successful completion of a randomised controlled trial were broadly met.

Specifically:

• the number of young people receiving treatment through participating Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) services appears large enough to support recruitment to a future trial – although the proportion of young people who meet eligibility criteria, express interest in education and employment support, consent to participate and remain engaged remains uncertainmanageable and appropriate for testing through a nested internal pilot. The overall conclusion was that progression to a full-scale trial is feasible and justified, subject to completion of key set-up activities and successful achievement of pilot progression criteria
• delivery partners and NHS trusts were found to have the capability and infrastructure to deliver the intervention
• while consent and randomisation procedures were deemed feasible and ethical, young people highlighted the need for clear, accessible and youth-friendly communication, including plain-English information materials, visually engaging content, opportunities to access information independently through digital platforms, and multiple opportunities to ask questions before deciding whether to participate
• while a number of employment, education and IPS-based services are available locally, stakeholders deemed IPS-Y distinct enough from existing provision to enable a meaningful assessment of its impact
• young people’s engagement and retention were considered feasible, provided that youth-centred and neurodiversity and trauma-informed approaches are adopted.

A key strength of the study was its collaborative and co-designed approach, particularly the involvement of young people and parents/carers in shaping the proposed trial design.

Limitations included uneven engagement across NHS Trusts, variable quality of administrative data, and reliance on stakeholder views in areas where direct implementation evidence was not yet available.

Next steps

We are proceeding with a pilot randomised controlled trial of IPS-Y in Greater Manchester.

The design and delivery for the pilot RCT will be informed by learnings and insights from the feasibility report and will explore whether key trial design features work in practice.