The SPHERE RCT

Aim: The aim of the SPHERE randomised controlled trial is to assess whether a psychosocial health coaching and social prescribing intervention improves patient reported health and wellbeing among people with HIV.

Sites: The study is recruiting from 7 HIV clinics across England from September 2024 to December 2025. The sites are:

• Barts and the London
• Chelsea and Westminster, London
• Kings College Hospital, London
• Brighton
• Sheffield
• Manchester
• Bristol

Intervention

-A health and wellbeing coaching and social prescribing intervention based within the HIV clinic.

-Delivered by experienced HIV healthcare professionals, trained in coaching and social prescribing.

-The trial is for people living with HIV who have symptoms of depression or other psychosocial needs (measured by the HIV Positive Outcomes Measure (PO-11).

Key Features of the trial

Secondary care-based intervention – People with HIV have greater engagement and trust in secondary care and rate the services highly.

Coach is HIV health care professional -specialist knowledge, reduce fears of stigma and discrimination, referral if needed to psychologists who also specialise in HIV. Feeds back into greater knowledge and experience in the clinic.

Coach is trained by organisation with experience in HIV – specialised training for HIV healthcare professionals through our partner LivingWell 

Social prescribing is a key feature of the intervention to address social needs that are not within the remit of routine HIV care.

The study is managed by our collaborator, Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit.

Trial Progress: The seven clinical trial sites opened in September/October 2024.

Each clinical site has two experienced HIV healthcare professionals who have been trained in Health and Wellbeing Coaching and Social Prescribing by our collaborators, LivingWell and Bromley by Bow.

All seven trial sites are now open!

The latest trial newsletter with recruitment updates can be found here:

SPHERE 3 Special Edition