RESTORE: Research evaluating staff training online for resilience
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN49481858 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN49481858 |
| IRAS number | 360616 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | CPMS 69383 |
- Submission date
- 19/08/2025
- Registration date
- 24/09/2025
- Last edited
- 24/09/2025
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Overall study status
- Ongoing
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Hospice staff working in palliative care often face high levels of stress and emotional strain. However, there’s a lack of proven psychological support to help them cope. In 2021, a small pilot study tested an online training programme called RESTORE (Research Evaluating Staff Training Online for Resilience), based on Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT). The results were promising, but more research is needed. This new study will test whether RESTORE really helps improve staff wellbeing compared to the usual support available in hospices.
Who can participate?
Staff working in hospices that agree to take part in the study can join. They’ll need to discuss participation with their line manager to make sure it fits around their work schedule.
What does the study involve?
Hospices will be randomly assigned to either receive the RESTORE training or continue with their usual wellbeing support.
Participants in the RESTORE group will:
-Attend four live online workshops (each about 1.5 hours)
-Spend around 8–10 hours over eight weeks doing self-guided learning using videos, audio, and workbook exercises
Participants in the control group will continue using their usual wellbeing resources (like webinars and self-help tools) and will be offered RESTORE training later.
All participants will complete online questionnaires at four points: before the study starts, and then 8, 12, and 24 weeks later. Some may also be invited to take part in an interview to share their experience.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Taking part may be enjoyable and helpful, and could improve wellbeing. The information gathered will help improve future support for hospice staff.
There are no expected risks, but participants will need to make time for the training and questionnaires. If anyone feels more stressed during the study, a trial therapist will be available to offer guidance and suggest further support.
Where is the study run from?
Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
February 2025 to February 2028.
Who is funding the study?
The study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research – Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme (UK)
Who is the main contact?
RESTORE.trial@ed.ac.uk
Contact information
Public
Usher Building
5 Little France Rd
Edinburgh
EH16 4UX
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0009-0004-5130-9582 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 131 651 9928 |
| restore.trial@ed.ac.uk |
Scientific, Principal Investigator
University of Edinburgh
School of Health in Social Science
Elsie Inglis Quad
Teviot Place
Edinburgh
EH8 9AG
United Kingdom
| ORCID ID |
0000-0003-4071-4211 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 131 651 3946 |
| david.gillanders@ed.ac.uk |
Scientific, Principal Investigator
University of Edinburgh
Doorway 6, Medical School
Teviot Place
Edinburgh
EH8 9AG
United Kingdom
| ORCID ID |
0000-0002-3056-059X |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 131 651 3946 |
| a.finucane@ed.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Cluster randomised trial |
| Study setting(s) | Hospice |
| Study type | Other, Quality of life |
| Participant information sheet | 47866 RESTORE Participant Information Sheet v1.0 17Jul2025.pdf |
| Scientific title | A cluster randomised controlled trial of online Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) to improve mental wellbeing in staff caring for terminally ill people and their caregivers |
| Study acronym | RESTORE |
| Study objectives | The primary objective is to evaluate the efficacy of RESTORE plus usual support for staff mental wellbeing in comparison to usual support alone at week 24 (12 weeks post-intervention completion). The secondary objectives are to evaluate the efficacy of RESTORE plus usual support, in comparison to usual support alone in improving staff burnout, depression, anxiety and stress; and reducing intention to leave at week 24 (12 weeks post-intervention completion). |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 31/07/2025, School of Health in Social Science (The University of Edinburgh, Medical School, Doorway 6, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, EH89AG, United Kingdom; +44 131 651 3969; ethics.hiss@ed.ac.uk), ref: 24-25CLPS140 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Mental wellbeing in staff working in hospices |
| Intervention | Hospices will be randomised to either intervention or control. Randomisation allocation will not be undertaken until sites and participants are enrolled and baseline assessments have been completed; only then will the site be randomised by the trial management team. No participants can be enrolled after the site has been randomised. Participants in the intervention arm will attend four live online workshops (approx. 1.5 hours each) and will commit approximately eight to ten hours of engagement over eight weeks, of self-directed learning and skills practice using video, audio, and workbook exercises. Participants will be reminded by email about routinely available wellbeing support resources available to them through their organisation. These resources typically include information and education in the form of free self-care webinars, self-help and online mental health tools. Participants in the control arm will be offered the RESTORE training at a later date. Participants will complete online questionnaires at the following timepoints: - Baseline, - 8 weeks) after baseline - 12 weeks after baseline - 24 weeks after baseline |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Mental wellbeing will be measured using the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing scale at recruitment, 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 24 weeks |
| Secondary outcome measures | 1. Burnout will be measured using the Burnout Assessment Tool – Short Form at recruitment, 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 24 weeks 2. Depression, anxiety and stress will be measured using the Depression, anxiety and stress scale at recruitment, 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 24 weeks 3. Thoughts about leaving – past 3 months will be measured by a single item question at recruitment and 24 weeks 4. Intention to leave – future will be measured by a Four item scale at recruitment and 24 weeks 5. Psychological flexibility – healthcare professional will be measured by Mindful Healthcare Scale at recruitment, 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 24 weeks 6. Psychological flexibility – general will be measured by Psy-Flex at recruitment, 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 24 weeks 7. Occupational stress will be measured by Occupational Stress Scale for Palliative Care at recruitment and week 24 8. Stress prone thinking style will be measured by Anxious Thoughts and Tendencies Scale at recruitment, 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 24 weeks 9. Wellbeing resource engagement will be measured by Wellbeing resource engagement questionnaire at 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 24 weeks |
| Overall study start date | 01/02/2025 |
| Completion date | 29/02/2028 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Health professional, Employee |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Upper age limit | 100 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 300 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Doctors 2. Nurses 3. Health Care Assistants 4. Social workers and members of the social work team 5. Allied health professionals 6. Staff offering community-based palliative care (e.g. community palliative care clinical nurse specialists; and health care assistants providing overnight end-of-life home care) |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Staff currently in receipt of any psychological therapy intervention (either in work or outside of work). 2. Staff who have completed a psychological therapy intervention within the last three months. If potential participants have received psychological therapy intervention, but this ended over three months prior to enrolment, they will be eligible to enrol in RESTORE |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/10/2025 |
| Date of final enrolment | 31/05/2026 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centres
Church Road
Cheltenham
GL53 0QJ
United Kingdom
4 Compton Road West
Wolverhampton
WV3 9DH
United Kingdom
West End
Southampton
SO30 3JB
United Kingdom
Blurton
Stoke-on-trent
ST3 3NZ
United Kingdom
Didsbury
M20 5NA
Didsbury
M20 5NA
United Kingdom
Dryden Road
Exeter
EX2 5JJ
United Kingdom
Purbrook
Waterlooville
PO7 5RU
United Kingdom
28 Thornbury Road
Uphill
Weston-super-mare
BS23 4YQ
United Kingdom
Coventry
Coventry
CV2 2HJ
United Kingdom
Winsley
Bradford-on-avon
BA15 2LE
United Kingdom
Stafford
ST16 3SB
United Kingdom
Heald Green
Cheadle
SK8 3SZ
United Kingdom
Off Chorley New Road
Bolton
BL1 4QT
United Kingdom
Hillington
King's Lynn
PE31 6BH
United Kingdom
Macclesfield
SK10 3DR
United Kingdom
Lostock Lane, Lostock Hall
Preston
PR5 5XU
United Kingdom
Loughborough
LE11 2HS
United Kingdom
Newark
NG24 1TW
United Kingdom
Rochdale
OL16 4PZ
United Kingdom
Pease Pottage
Crawley
RH11 9SL
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
57 George Square
Edinburgh
EH8 9JU
Scotland
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 131 650 3487 |
|---|---|
| Matt.Erikson@ed.ac.uk | |
| Website | https://www.ed.ac.uk |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/01nrxwf90 |
Funders
Funder type
Government
Government organisation / National government
- Alternative name(s)
- National Institute for Health Research, NIHR Research, NIHRresearch, NIHR - National Institute for Health Research, NIHR (The National Institute for Health and Care Research), NIHR
- Location
- United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Planned publication in a peer-reviewed journal |
| IPD sharing plan | The de-identified dataset will be retained at the end of the trial, for a minimum of the proscribed retention period. During this time it will be available for sharing, post initial results/publication embargo. All requests for data will have to be approved by the Edinburgh Clinical Trail Unit's data sharing committee who will check appropriateness of requests. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participant information sheet | version 1.0 | 17/07/2025 | 20/08/2025 | No | Yes |
Additional files
Editorial Notes
19/08/2025: Trial's existence confirmed by University of Edinburgh.
