NIHR Mental Health Research Group at the University of Plymouth

Background to the research Mental health care system service problems in the South West of England are considerable. Systems are charged to deliver integrated, place-based support, across community primary care, voluntary sector, and secondary care, allocating resources, in ways that maximise population mental health. Yet there are long waiting lists, difficult access to specialist expertise and discharges can be precipitous ‘cliff edge’ experiences. Overall, we have created a system few are happy with, yet no one is doing research on these difficult problems to help systems rebalance care. With capacity development and mentoring from King’s College London and the University of Exeter, we will build the methodological and wider research leadership capability at the University of Plymouth to tackle these problems. We will do research to create knowledge for action, improving local decision making, and creating system balance together with people with lived experience, staff, and decision makers. Aim of the research Our aim is to build the skills and confidence in applied mental health research at the University of Plymouth (UoP) to develop ‘learning mental health systems’ that are capable of taking better decisions about how mental health care is organised. Research Plans The first phase of UoP MHRG includes five projects designed to build individual capability and deliver impact. The core five-year Serious and Enduring Mental Illness project will tackle system flow issues, waste, harm, and unequal resource allocation using routine data and insights from lived experience and practitioners to drive system and practice change. The Intellectual Disability Polypharmacy study will examine disparities linked to secondary care access. The Student Mental Health project, using systems mapping, will evaluate UoP’s innovative mental health programme. Community assets research will explore mutual support through ethnography. A feasibility study will assess a transdiagnostic, community-focused app aimed at supporting self-understanding and self-care. To support this work, a tailored capacity development programme will build the skills and confidence of the MHRG team, supported by expertise from UoP and partner institutions, ensuring research leadership and long-term sustainability. Working with diverse people and communities Making a positive change for people with lived experience of mental health problems, their families and supporters, and the staff that work with them and lead services is at the heart of everything we do. In preparing this application we listened to local views and needs. In the work we plan to do, we will involve people in many different ways: as peer researchers, advisors, co-workers, and we will build research and analytic capacity within the organisations we work with. We have mechanisms for ensuring research inclusion and are committed to making sure that being involved in the research benefits the people we work with. Knowledge mobilisation and impact We will share what we learn locally to influence service improvement as the research progresses and will share what we learn nationally and internationally through writing about it (in academic journals and through blogs), talking about it (holding webinars, speaking at conferences), and we will work with our local people and communities to find ways to make what we learn easy to understand and useful.