Professor Richard Byng, PenARC Deputy Director, and Dr Rebecca Hardwick, PenARC Senior Research Fellow (Mental Health), are among the senior researchers awarded funding through the NIHR Mental Health Research Groups (MHRG) scheme. The five-year programme builds on PenARC’s long-standing strengths in applied mental health research, primary care and close collaboration with communities and health and care partners across the South West.
The programme is one of five new MHRGs funded through an NIHR investment of almost £55 million. It is led by the University of Plymouth’s Community and Primary Care Research Centre (CPCRC), working with colleagues from the School of Psychology, Plymouth Business School and CIDER (Cornwall for Intellectual Disability Equitable Research), alongside partners from PenARC, the University of Exeter, King’s College London and the McPin Foundation.
Patients, community groups, voluntary sector organisations and social and primary care providers will be involved throughout, alongside the region’s four NHS mental healthcare organisations: Livewell South West, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Devon Partnership Trust and Cornwall Foundation Trust. This embedded, collaborative approach is designed to ensure research focuses on local priorities and real-world challenges and that findings can be rapidly translated into practice.
Addressing pressures in mental health care
The programme will explore why mental health care and support services do not always work as effectively or equitably as they could, and how experiences for individuals, communities and staff can be improved. The aim is to develop and test practical solutions that ensure people are able to get the help they need, when they need it.
Professor Richard Byng, who leads the University of Plymouth’s Mental Health Research Group said:
“In recent years, we have reduced prejudice surrounding mental health and that is unquestionably a good thing. But doing so has contributed to significant challenges for our health system, as it was not set up to manage the numbers of people now coming forward with requests for help. Problems include rejections following referral, repeated assessments and sudden ‘cliff edge’ discharges, while community and digital assets are not fully recognised as key parts of the whole system. We will work with people across our community and staff in services to explore what is working well and less well, building the capacity to make better decisions. This programme is well aligned both with the concerns of communities and with NHS policy – our aim is to help mental health services function well for everyone in the future.”
Building on PenARC expertise
The programme builds on more than two decades of mental health research across the South West and aims to expand both the scale and reach of expertise in the region. Initial projects will focus on groups who often face barriers to accessing current mental health provision, including:
- People with serious mental health problems, who often don’t get the specialist support they need;
- People with intellectual disabilities, so we can share information about medications in fair and accessible ways;
- University students, for whom a range of opportunities outside of formal services may be important;
- Communities where there is potential to improve how people support themselves and each other without needing to see a professional.
Researchers will also explore how app-based technologies can support people to understand and manage their mental health, and improve information-sharing with services.
Dr Rebecca Hardwick, NIHR South West Peninsula ARC (PenARC)Senior Research Fellow at the University of Plymouth and co-lead for the new programme added:
“Over the last three years we have worked with lots of people to develop our ideas. This includes people with mental health problems and those who care for them, and professionals who see patients or who decide what services should be provided. All those conversations and meetings have helped us focus our research and think about tricky but important issues like ethics and equality. It has enabled us to develop a programme that will include lots of ways for lots of people to get involved – with some advising, some collecting and analysing data, and some sharing findings.”
The NIHR funding targets areas with high levels of mental health need, including higher suicide rates, deprivation and severe mental illness. The new MHRGs aim to reduce inequalities in mental health provision by embedding research in local communities and focusing on locally identified priorities.
Evidence shows that the South West has specific mental health support needs, and this new funding aims to tackle those needs. There are estimated to be 28,000 people living with a severe mental illness in the South West Peninsula, and 242,000 people with common mental health problems.
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR, said:
“Mental health challenges can be isolating, especially for people in some of our most under-served regions. Community allows us to tackle isolation. By moving our research focus out of traditional clinical settings and directly into the areas where people live and work, we are driving a fundamental shift toward a more preventative model of care in the community. We are committed to ensuring that the latest innovations and support reach those who need it most, long before they reach a crisis point.”
Strengthening research capacity in the South West
This award represents a major investment in mental health research in the South West and will strengthen regional research capacity, knowledge exchange and collaboration. It complements PenARC’s ongoing work to support high-quality applied health and care research that addresses inequalities and makes a difference locally and nationally.