Teesside University aims to build a mental health research group from scratch in one of England’s most deprived regions, where suicide rates are the highest in the country and research participation is vanishingly low. The problem is stark. Middlesbrough and the surrounding Tees Valley have some of the worst mental health outcomes in England—higher than average rates of depression, anxiety, and severe mental illness—yet the area hosts only 21 research sites running 53 studies out of 469 nationally. This mismatch between need and research activity means local treatments and services are not informed by evidence generated in the communities they serve. If the grant succeeds, a permanent Mental Health Research Group will be rooted at Teesside University within three years. The group will focus on problems identified by local people and the NHS: transitions from child to adult mental health services, treating physical and mental health conditions together, and integrating health and social care. Because Teesside University draws 80% of its students from disadvantaged backgrounds, the research will be shaped by and for the people who live there, rather than imported from elsewhere. The goal is to close the gap between where mental illness is worst and where research is done.
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I. Information on the geographical target area Teesside University (TU), the mentee Higher Education Institution (HEI), is situated in Middlesbrough, Tees Valley (TV), within the North-East of England. The Small Area Mental Health Index (SAMHI) and the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities [1] highlights the North-East as having high levels of mental ill health, with Middlesbrough and the surrounding TV areas having higher than average levels of mental ill-health, specifically, depression, anxiety, and Severe Mental Illness (SMI). The North-East has the highest levels of suicide in England. Health across the TV is worse than England averages, with reduced life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, with many geographical areas of income deprivation, including Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, and Redcar and Cleveland being in the top 20 most income deprived areas in England. Middlesbrough is ranked as the highest income deprived area [2] and in 2019, the most deprived local authority area, with the wider TV area of Hartlepool ranked 10th (out of 317 local authorities) [3]. Research into mental health is severely lacking in the TV region. Data showing recruitment to mental health studies (2023/2024) in the region (source: Open Data Platform for mental health study recruitment) shows that out of 1,425 recruitment sites across England, 94 sites were in the North-East and North Cumbria (NENC) region. Of these 94, only 21 are in the TV. These 21 sites are running a total of 53 research studies (469 studies nationally). Of studies registered on the NIHR North East North Cumbria clinical research network (NIHR NENC CRN) mental health portfolio (data provided via personal communication for 2013 to 2023), 70 were based in the NENC, with only 13 (18.5%) from the TV. This proposal aims to address the high prevalence of mental health need and low level of research in the TV region. Our proposal will aim to establish a Mental Health Research Group (MHRG) within three years, to root mental health research in one of the most deprived geographical areas in England. TU is an anchor institution [4] and is one of the region s largest employers, with around 2,300 staff [5]. It has over 29,000 students, with over half residing within the North-East [6]. In 2018/19, 80% of students enrolled at TU were from disadvantaged backgrounds [7]. TU has been recognised as making a substantial positive contribution to the local economy [8] and supports and contributes to the Health and Care Innovation Zone Partnership Board, which is a cluster of health and social care organisations in the TV, aiming to reduce health inequalities [9]. Receipt of a Mental Health Leader Award (MHLA) will work to focus resources, attention, and mental health research in a geographical area most at need. Our Participant and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) work with adults with lived experience of mental ill health has identified local mental health research needs that align with the key priorities of the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Integrated Care System North-East and North Cumbria (NENC ICS) [10, 11]. These include better understanding of transitions from child to adult mental health services, healthcare system design around treating concurrent physical and mental health conditions, and true integration between health and social care for mental health conditions. II. Eligibility and motivation of Teesside University as the host HEI TU is a key partner in NIHR Infrastructure funding (e.g. NIHR North-East and North Cumbria Applied Research Collaboration [NIHR ARC NENC], and Fuse, The Centre for Translational Research in Public Health (co-applicant Professor Lake is an Associate Director) and is also a founding member of the NIHR School for Public Health Research. These infrastructures will be used to upscale to a substantial portfolio of impactful mental health research. Currently the University holds mental health research awards from funders including P
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