Research unit to bring evidence to forefront of mental health policy

King’s College London and UCL are leading the establishment of a new policy research unit, the NIHR Mental Health Policy Research Unit, which will bring mental health researchers, clinicians, service users and carers closer together. 

Commissioned by the Department of Health through the NIHR’s Policy Research Programme following an open competition, the policy research unit will be hosted at UCL, jointly led by UCL and King’s, alongside researchers from City, University of London and Middlesex University. It is funded at a cost of £5m for five years.

“Across the health care system, we know more about what works than what we actually put into practice, as policy makers don’t always have the latest research findings readily available. We are putting together a responsive core team, and building up a broader network of experts who will ensure that policy makers will have access to the most comprehensive and up-to-date evidence to guide their plans,” said Professor Sonia Johnson (UCL Psychiatry), the director of the unit.

The research unit will be focusing on prevention, access and quality of mental health care, by conducting research on the impact of existing policies and to guide future plans, as well as by providing expert advice in a timely manner. The unit will offer bespoke analyses to help guide mental health policy, drawing on existing data sets to rapidly collect evidence, and by synthesising established findings. The unit will also work with a broader network of experts in the field, and identify researchers who can be available at short notice to offer up advice or to take on short-term projects.

“Our network of experts includes economists, big data analysts, and service user researchers, to name a few, so we will be well placed to look at mental health policy research from many different angles,” Professor Johnson said.

“We are pleased that the Department of Health are funding the NIHR Mental Health Policy Re-search Unit,” said Professor Paul McCrone (King’s College London), co-director of the unit. “This presents a unique opportunity for the academic community to work closely with clinicians and service users in influencing and supporting mental health policy over the coming years. A major strength of the unit is its multi-disciplinary focus, bringing together quantitative and qualitative research, implementation science, and my own field of health economics.”

People who have used mental health services, some of whom are professional researchers, will be part of the team and will contribute their perspectives on equal terms. The unit’s research priorities will be set by the Department of Health and affiliated bodies, and the research team will be collaborating with all stakeholder groups to determine how to address them.

The unit is committed to maintaining a national focus thanks to a steering group hailing from across the country and by monitoring for regional inequalities, alongside other inequalities of all kinds.

Health Minister, Lord O’Shaughnessy said: “Mental health is a major priority for this Government. We are working hard to put mental and physical health on an equal footing and have put record funding in mental health services. This new research unit will bring together a team of high calibre researchers to help government make the right, evidence-based decisions for people with mental health issues.”

Professor Ian Everall, Executive Dean of the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, said: “We are delighted to be leading this major new research unit with UCL, which will ensure mental health services across the UK are based on good evidence. Our world-leading researchers are joining an unparalleled network of expertise, spanning child and adult psychiatry and psychology, nursing, social care and service user research.”

This release was first published 10 November by King's College London.