Long-term conditions

Approximately 15 million people in England, representing 1 in 4 adults, have one or more long-term conditions (LTCs). A LTC is an illness that cannot be cured, but may be controlled with medicines and/or other treatments. Common LTCs in the UK encompass a range of body systems and disorders spanning: cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, renal/urology, endocrine/diabetes, neurological/psychiatric and musculoskeletal/trauma. People living with LTCs face considerable challenges around the management of their long-term physical and mental health.     

About the research group

The ‘Living well with long-term conditions’ LWLTC research group is led by Prof Dez Kyte and Dr Kostas Papadopoulos. The LWLTC group aims to facilitate the development and implementation of high-quality research and knowledge exchange, targeted at helping people with long-term conditions and their families to live well.

If you are developing a LTC research project and would like some support from the LWLTC team, please take a look at the ‘Getting Help’ section at the bottom of this web page.

 

LWLTC Members

LWLTC Members

LWLTC Operations Group

LWLTC Group Lead – Prof Dez Kyte PhD – Professor of Physiotherapy and course lead for the MSc (pre-reg) Physiotherapy programme, University of Worcester.

Deputy lead – Dr Kostas Papadopoulos PhD - Principal lecturer (physiotherapy) at the University of Worcester and the Head of Department for Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy & Nutritional Therapy.

Professor Eleanor Bradley PhD - College Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange (Health & Science) and a Professor of Health Psychology, University of Worcester.

Dr Berenice Mahoney PhD - Principal Lecturer, PhD Three Counties Medical School and the School of Psychology, University of Worcester.

Professor Rebecca Stack PhD - MBChB Assessment Lead, School Teaching and Learning coordinator, School EDI Lead and Professor of Student Success and Medical Assessment at Three Counties Medical School, University of Worcester.

LWLTC Group Members

James Bateman - Senior Lecturer in Sports Therapy, School of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Worcester

Dr Pauline Kuithan PhD - Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, Department of Allied Health, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Worcester

Dr Erica Thomas MBChB - Public health lead MBChB Program, Three Counties Medical School, University of Worcester

Current LWLTC Projects 

aims

 Current Funded Research Projects

Current PhD Students

  • Krista Easton: Co-occurence of autism among individuals living with bipolar disorder. Supervisor: Bere Mahoney
  • Alice Clements: The postpartum phase for men living with bipolar disorder: clinical features and psychosocial factors.Supervisor: Bere Mahoney
  • Beck Lowe: Self-diagnosis of autism: the role of social media. DoS: Bere Mahoney
  • University of Worcester.  Frances Chilton.  PhD Topic: Shared Decision Making: an exploration into the experiences of patients with early inflammatory / rheumatoid arthritis from symptom onset to first treatment year. Supervisor: E Bradley.
  • University of Worcester. Samita Kirve-PhD topic: Dementia education provision in pre-reg OT programmes in UK HEIs. Supervisor: Kostas Papadolpoulos.
  • MDX London. Katherine Paice-PhD topic: The role of nutrition in improving performance and reducing injury in female netball players. Supervisor: Kostas Papadolpoulos.
  • University of West Attica. George Kypraios-PhD topic: The use of clinical Pilates in Shoulder Tendinopathy. Supervisor: Kostas Papadolpoulos.
  • MDX London. Luca Maestroni – PhD topic: Strength and Power Assessment in Rehabilitation: Profiling the Athlete’s Return to Sport Journey Following ACL reconstruction – Supervisor: Kostas Papadolpoulos - PhD completed 2023/24.
  • Nicola Anderson. Using patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) to promote quality of care and safety in the management of patients with established kidney disease requiring treatment with haemodialysis. University of Birmingham, UK – Supervisor: D Kyte - PhD completed 2023/24.
  • Birgith Engelst Grove. Remote symptom monitoring using patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures in patients with chronic kidney disease: The PROKID study. Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark –External Supervisor: D Kyte - PhD completed 2023/24.

LWLTC Outputs

Publications

  • Kristina Newman, Rebecca Stack, Mike Rennoldson, Eva Zysk, Eva Sundin and Preethi Premkumar (2024) Health Psychology. In. Banyard Et al.  Essential psychology. Fourth Edition. SAGE Publications Limited. 
  • Olatz Lopez-Fernandez, Rebecca Stack, Suvo Mitra and Louise A. Brown Nicholls (2004). Adulthood to Ageing. In. Banyard Et al.  Essential psychology. Fourth Edition. SAGE Publications Limited.
  • Qualitative analysis of the impact of providing support and care for severe mental illness on informal carers (In press) Sud D, Bradley E, Tritter J, Maidment I BMC Psychiatry
  • Johnson J, Hope L, Jones L and Bradley E (2023) A mixed methods study to understand perinatal mental healthcare referral decisions among midwives and health visitors in the UK. Frontiers in Psychiatry, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1056987
  • Doughty, A., Keane, G., Wadley, A. J., Mahoney, B., Bueno, A. A., & Coles, S. J. (2024). Plasma concentrations of thioredoxin, thioredoxin reductase and peroxiredoxin-4 can identify high risk patients and predict outcome in patients with acute coronary syndrome: A clinical observation. International Journal of Cardiology, 131888
  • Gordon-Smith, K., Hampshire, C., Mahoney, B., Perry, A., Lewis, K. J., Craddock, N., ... & Jones, L. (2024). Opportunities to engage in positive activities during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives of individuals with mood disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders, 345, 186-191
  • Hampshire, C., Mahoney, B., & Davis, S. K. (2022). Parenting styles and disordered eating among youths: A rapid scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 802567
  • Lea, R., Davis, S. K., Mahoney, B., & Qualter, P. (2023). Do emotionally intelligent adolescents flourish or flounder under pressure? Linking emotional intelligence to stress regulation mechanisms. Personality and Individual Differences, 201, 111943
  • Mahoney, B. (2024). Geography and breast reconstruction: the complex business of using travel time to understand how patients access care after surgery. Ann Breast Surg 2024; 8:13 https://dx.doi.org/10.21037/abs-23-24

LWLTC PhD Projects

We welcome proposals from prospective students with interests in any areas aligned to our Research Group. Approaches from self-supporting PhD students are accepted all year round. Please contact Dr Derek Kyte to express an interest along with an outline of your research ideas.

Available Self-funded PhD Projects

Clinical Significance and Diagnostic Accuracy of Special Tests in Rotator Cuff Related Shoulder Pain.

Investigating the Impact of Different Flooring Surfaces on EMG Muscle Activation of the Knee and Hip Muscles During Squatting and Stair Descending in Patients with Patellofemoral Pain.

A Longitudinal Investigation of Symptom Burden in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) [The CKD-INSIGHT study].

Living with Allergy During the Transition to Secondary School.

Routine Monitoring of Depression and Anxiety in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

The Impact of Extended Waiting Times for Treatment and Investigation in People with Long-Term Conditions.

If you are interested in these projects, please contact the lead supervisor to have a chat about your interests and the project idea. Please see the Doctoral School pages for details on how to apply.

LWLTC Collaborators & Associate Members 

Dr Shirley Evans - Director of The Association for Dementia Studies, University of Worcester. 

Dr Chris Bowers - Head of Dept. Computing, Principal Lecturer, University of Worcester. 

Dr Andrew Morris - Specialist renal dietician, Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS trust.

Alexander Smith - Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science - Swansea University.

Paul MacDonald - Lead Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner, Integrated Community Services, Worcestershire Health and Care Trust.

Getting help from the LWLTC Team for your project

 

The Living Well with Long-Term Conditions (LWLTC) research group at the University of Worcester provides support for researchers - both inside and external to the university - focusing on long-term health conditions. 

Researchers working on long-term conditions can benefit from the LWLTC group's multidisciplinary approach and their experience in applied health research. They offer collaboration opportunities, access to cutting-edge research, and the chance to engage with national and international health projects, ensuring that researchers have the support they need to develop robust, impactful studies.

 How the LWLTC could help the development of your research project:

  • Provide advice on the project idea/plan.
  • Peer review a grant application or publication.
  • Peer review a conference presentation or poster.
  • A LWLTC member may also join your project as a co-investigator.

 Please complete the form below to request support from the team:

https://forms.office.com/e/SMAdkvKeha

Joining the LWLTC Research Group

Joining the Living Well with Long-Term Conditions (LWLTC) research group offers significant benefits for researchers focused on chronic illnesses. As a member, you would have access to a collaborative team/environment with expertise in designing and implementing high-quality, impactful research aimed at improving the lives of people living with long-term conditions. The group offers multidisciplinary collaboration opportunities across the University of Worcester and NHS settings, enhancing the real-world applicability of research outcomes.

 Members contribute to the group in different ways, depending upon their field of expertise and their time commitments. Below is a summary of the kind of activities that LWLTC members might get involved in:

  • Attending and contributing to LWLTC seminars – approx. 2-3 each academic year (usually meetings are online).
  • Supporting the 3 key priorities of the LWLTC research group:
    • Facilitating the development and implementation of high-quality impactful research & knowledge exchange, targeted at helping people with long-term conditions and their families to live well.
    • Enhancing research collaboration around long-term conditions and facilitating the co-production of research with the involvement of key stakeholders.
    • Supporting research active/aspiring colleagues within and external to the university.
  • Collaborating on grant applications and inputting to active research projects.
  • Collaborating on publications and conference abstracts.
  • Inputting to the LWLTC research group annual report.

 

If you are interested in joining the group, please email us using the contact details below:

 

Prof Dez Kyte (LWLTC Chair) – d.kyte@worc.ac.uk

Dr Kostas Papadopoulos (Deputy Lead) - k.papadopoulos@worc.ac.uk