The Long-Term Conditions Group is a collaborative research team dedicated to improving the lives and care of people living with long-term health conditions. Based within the Primary Care Unit at the University of Cambridge, our mission is to ensure that everyone with a long-term condition has the opportunity to achieve the best possible quality of life.
We bring together researchers, clinicians, patients, charities, and policy stakeholders to co-produce research that is grounded in the real-world experiences and needs of those affected by long-term conditions. By working in partnership with the communities we serve, we aim to design practical, evidence-based interventions and support systems.
Through our research, we aim to empower individuals to manage their health with confidence and to support healthcare professionals in delivering compassionate, person-centred care. Ultimately, we believe that long-term conditions should not limit the potential, dignity, or wellbeing of anyone.
Explore our work, meet our team, and learn how we're shaping a future where living well with a long-term condition is possible for all.
We are the Long-Term Conditions Group at the University of Cambridge: a team of researchers working alongside clinicians, and people with lived experience, collaborating to reimagine care for those living with long-term health conditions.
Our research is co-produced with patients, driven by real-world needs, and focused on making meaningful change. Whether it’s improving diagnosis, tackling health inequalities, or strengthening communication in healthcare, we believe everyone deserves care that is compassionate, informed, and fair.
Research with heart, science with purpose: that’s who we are.
Our Mission
Our mission is simple but ambitious: to improve the lives and care of people living with long-term conditions. We do this by undertaking research on the themes of raising awareness, reducing inequalities, advancing collaborative research, improving clinical practice, and making support more accessible. At the heart of our mission is a commitment to fairness, integrity, and human dignity.
Our Ethos
How we work
At the Long-Term Conditions Group, we work collaboratively, inclusively, and respectfully. Our approach is deeply patient-centered, grounded in the understanding that lived experience is as valuable as clinical expertise. Every voice on our team, whether from patients, clinicians, researchers, or students, is listened to equally. See who contributes to our team here.
Our research is co-produced with those who live with long-term conditions, ensuring it reflects real needs and delivers practical, meaningful outcomes.
Who we work with
We work closely with people living with long-term conditions, their families, support networks, community organisations, clinicians, academics, and policy influencers. Through these partnerships, we co-design research that addresses pressing issues and promotes real-world impact. Our collaborators include national charities, healthcare professionals, and university departments, all sharing the goal of improving care and quality of life.
Our Patient-Centered Approach
Patients are central to everything we do. They are not just participants in our studies—they are co-researchers, advisors, and leaders. Their insights guide our research priorities, methods, and dissemination. We believe better care starts with better listening.
ADAPT: A randomised controlled trial to investigate the effectiveness of online exercise interventions in reducing fatigue and the high burden of mental health symptoms in rheumatology patients
Dates: 01/04/2025 – 31/03/2027
Overview:
Many people with rheumatological diseases experience severe fatigue and other symptoms which can make participating in everyday life very difficult. The ADAPT trial is investigating whether Pilates or Tai Chi online group classes can reduce fatigue and improve quality of life in people with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs).
420 patients with rheumatological diseases will be recruited and randomised into one of three groups:
- Pilates classes
- Tai Chi classes
- Control (usual care)
The exercise classes will be 1 hour duration, delivered via Zoom twice per week for a total of 8 weeks.
Participants will complete questionnaires on their health and quality of life at baseline, 8 weeks, 16 weeks, and 6 months.
Menopause MATTERs (Menopause And TreaTment Experiences in Rheumatic diseaseS)
Dates:
Menopause MATTERs is a University of Cambridge study exploring how menopause and its treatment affect women with autoimmune diseases, particularly those that are chronic and systemic such as lupus. These conditions primarily affect women, yet menopause remains an under-researched and often overlooked issue in this group.
Many symptoms of menopause, such as fatigue, joint pain, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, and low mood, overlap with those experienced in autoimmune conditions. This overlap can lead to confusion, misdiagnosis, and missed opportunities to provide the right support. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) could relieve some of these symptoms and reduce longer-term risks such as osteoporosis, but both patients and clinicians are often unsure about its safety in autoimmune disease.
This study aims to understand how different stages of menopause affect disease activity and symptoms in women with and without autoimmune conditions. It also examines how HRT impacts symptoms, quality of life, and overall satisfaction with menopause-related care. In addition, we are exploring the views and experiences of GPs and specialists when treating menopause in women with these conditions.
By gathering insights from both patients and healthcare professionals, Menopause MATTERs seeks to improve care, challenge outdated assumptions, and support informed, personalised treatment decisions for women navigating menopause with an autoimmune condition.
New research: Two-year follow-up of neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases
Publish Date: 13/03/2026
New research shows that the memory and cognitive problems often experienced by people with systemic rheumatic diseases do not get worse over time as many patients fear.
This research was led by Dr Melanie Sloan from the School of Medicine at University of East Anglia and the University of Cambridge, Primary Care Unit, with collaborators from the INSPIRE international research team of clinicians, patients and academics.
Over the two-year study, patients’ memory scores and adapting to living with a disease scores improved, with depression and anxiety scores remaining unchanged. The researchers concluded that these patients need more medical and psychosocial support for these mental health symptoms.
The longitudinal study followed over 700 people over two years with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases including lupus, vasculitis and rheumatoid arthritis. The team measured, through validated survey instruments, changes over time in anxiety, depression, memory and adapting to living with these diseases.
Access the study here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589537026000659
New study reveals unmet needs in menopause care for people with autoimmune diseases
Publish Date: 10/02/2026
A major international study from the Menopause MATTERs Project has found that people living with autoimmune diseases report significantly lower satisfaction and more challenging experiences with menopause care, compared to those without autoimmune conditions.
Across nine domains, including access to clinicians, clinician knowledge, involvement in decision-making, and consideration of autoimmune conditions, satisfaction was lower among those with autoimmune disease. Participants described care as largely reactive, fragmented and often failing to address the intersection between menopausal symptoms and autoimmune health. Mental health symptoms were also frequently overshadowed menopause discussions.
The findings underline the need for proactive menopause care and more robust evidence to support clinical guidance.
Access the full study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037851222500619X
The Long-Term Conditions Research Group attend SAPC South East conference 2026
Published: 5/2/2026
The Society for Academic and Primary Care (SAPC) South East conference was hosted by the Primary Care Unit this year at Madingley Hall. Across the two-day conference (29-30 January) we presented five pieces of work from our research group (including two student projects), helped facilitate a patient and public partner workshop, and won the ‘best poster’ prize!
Presentations
- Clinicians’ Management of Menopause in Rheumatic Diseases: A Mixed Methods Study (Kaira Kuhu Naidu)
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Use and Views among Patients with Autoimmune Diseases: A Mixed Methods Study (Divya Kothari)
- Exploring the Intersectionality between Stigma in Autoimmune Diseases and Mental Health Stigma (Uisce Pargiter)
- Gender Disparities in Perceptions of (Mis)Diagnosis and Care in Autoimmune Diseases (Sydnae Taylor, presented by Kaira Kuhu Naidu)
Poster
- Health app use in autoimmune disease: a mixed method exploration of patient and clinician views (Miranda Van Emmenis and Ellie Dalby on behalf of the team) – awarded the ‘Best Poster’ prize at the conference.
Workshop
- PPIE in Practice: Building Equitable Research Partnerships through Co-Design
It was a fantastic opportunity for our research group, particularly the students, to showcase our work and learn about all the great primary care research being conducted, with a focus on addressing health inequalities. We are looking forward to SAPC 2027!
My world has shrunk”: study reveals the wide-reaching and life-changing impacts of autoimmune diseases on patients’ lives
Published: 31/10/2025
Autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, can affect all aspects of patients’ lives, from physical and mental health to work, relationships and sense of identity, say researchers from the University of Cambridge and King’s College London.
In a study published in Rheumatology International, researchers surveyed 1,853 people living with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) and 463 members of the general population, as well as carrying out in-depth interviews with 34 people living with SARDs.
SARDs patients described mental, cognitive and physical symptoms which interacted and exacerbated one another, amplifying their joint impact.
Feasibility study finds psychosocial and exercise interventions show promise in improving the lives of patients with lupus
Published: 30/09/2025
Researchers from the Long-Term Conditions Research Group at the University of Cambridge, Primary Care Unit, tested three different interventions (delivered remotely over 8-12 weeks) aimed at improving quality of life in patients with lupus:
- Listening support: provided by The Wren Project
- Online Pilates classes: provided by a qualified instructor from Flexifit
- Text message and video support programme: designed by the multidisciplinary team of patients, clinicians and researchers
A new paper published in Rheumatology International shows all three interventions were deemed acceptable to patients and showed signs of effectiveness in improving resilience and reducing depression and fatigue. Read the full news story here. Access the journal article here.
Long-Term Conditions Research Group attend the British Society for Rheumatology annual conference 2025
Published: 01/05/2025
During 28 April – 30 April 2025, the Long-Term Conditions research group attended the annual conference of the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) in Manchester alongside clinicians, allied health professionals, researchers and charities (2,000 delegates total).
The team presented five studies across two oral presentations and four posters:
- ADAPT: feasibility study of psychosocial and exercise interventions for people with Lupus (Miranda Van Emmenis on behalf of Melanie Sloan)
- “If I were White”: qualitative analysis of the experiences of minoritized ethnic groups with SARDs (Sydnae Taylor)
- INSPIRE-Flare: investigating flares, triggers and prodromes in autoimmune disease patients (Martha Piper)
- Menopause MATTERs: hormonal replacement therapy & menopause in SARDs patients (Kaira Kuhu Naidu)
The conference provided a great opportunity for the group to showcase their work to a wider audience, network with colleagues and hear about the latest research.