Commissioned Call
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Annette Bauer - The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Project Title: Supporting mothers with severe mental illness during pregnancy and after birth: a realist evaluation of the Action on Postpartum Psychosis peer support model Brief Summary: Peer support can help women with severe mental illness during pregnancy and after birth, managing the impacts of the illness on their and their families’ lives. In England, women admitted to Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) because of severe mental illness should be offered peer support. However, peer support is provided differently in different parts of the country. There is currently very limited knowledge what works best for different women, the resources needed to deliver models, and how they can be good value for money. This means that women are not getting the best support and no informed decisions can be made how to spend limited resources. This research seeks to evaluate a peer support model that is currently delivered by a charity called Action on Postpartum Psychosis at several MBUs in the country. The model has shown promising effects for women and families, many of whom feel they might not have survived without the support. From what we know, the model addresses factors known to be linked to improving women’s and families’ lives in important ways. For example, it offers many ways for women and families to stay engaged. This research seeks to understand in detail how the model works, for whom and the resources needed to deliver it. The method we use (realist evaluation) is commonly used for evaluating support that takes many shapes and forms, and where it is not easy to explain how or why it works. We will do the research at three MBU sites in England (Birmingham. Lancashire & Manchester) which cover areas of high need. At each site we will talk to women using peer support, those providing the support as well as those managing and funding the model. Informed by an initial understanding about how the model works, we will ask detailed questions to develop a rich understanding about the difference the model makes for women and families and investigate the factors that influence its success, and limitations. We will present the knowledge to a large group of individuals who have an interest in making sure high quality peer support is delivered to women with severe mental illness during pregnancy and after birth. We will discuss with them how the findings can be used to get final answers on how to evaluate, fund and deliver peer support for these women and their families. Throughout the research, we will work collaboratively with those involved in the research and will receive advice from people with lived experience and professional knowledge. They will ensure that the research findings are taken up in practice and become a partnership for future research, practice, and policy change. Start / end dates: 1 January 2025 - 31 December 2025 Contact email: a.bauer@lse.ac.uk |
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Gary Lamph / Krysia Canvin - Keele University Project Title: Exploration of Prison Responses In complex eMotional nEeDs (E-PRIMED Project) Brief Summary: Personality disorder impacts seven in ten people in Prison. Specialist support is available through the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway to the highest risk and people with highest level of complexity however despite such high prevalence in the general wider prison population little support is provided and many people with these difficulties go without support and are undetected. We aim to find out and explore what support is currently offered. We will do this through a scoping study literature review and mapping exercise, a qualitative study with interviews with prison staff and prison leavers who meet the criteria for personality disorder and via a final participatory project using a world café methodology. All data collected within this study will be analysed and used to develop a freely available guidance toolkit for working with personality disorder in general prison populations. We disseminate findings through publication and conference presentation and through attempt to share the toolkit and influence practice and policy. Start / end dates: 1 October 2024 - 31 March 2026 Contact email: g.lamph@keele.ac.uk / k.canvin@keele.ac.uk |
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Robbie Duschinsky / Barry Coughlan - University of Cambridge Project Title: The availability and effectiveness of psychosocial treatments for underserved young people who self-harm: An analysis using data from two NHS Trusts. Brief Summary: While psychosocial support within mental health services is widely regarded as crucial for young people who self-harm, there is little known about what types of support are routinely available and how effective they are. This project will analyse anonymized data from two large mental health services. We will assess both the availability and effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for self-harm. We will explore how the availability and effectiveness of these interventions vary based on factors such as gender, ethnicity, age, economic deprivation, religion, first language, diagnosis, social care status, referral source, physical disability, and discharge destination. A range of outputs will be produced from the project’s findings to help professionals across public health, primary care, and social care feel better equipped to support young people and their families. Start / end dates: 1 October 2024 – 1 April 2026 Contact email: rd522@medschl.cam.ac.uk |
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Tamsin Fisher - Keele University Project Title: Supporting help-seeking in farmers to prevent self-harm and suicide: a multi-method study. (Farm SP) Brief Summary: Background There are approximately 104,000 farmers in the UK and the agricultural sector welcome an additional ~45,000 seasonal, mostly migrant, workers each year. Farming Life today, found that, of 450 farmers surveyed, 92% of farmers under the age of 40 years old reported poor mental health as the leading hidden problem facing farmers. The rate of deaths by suicide is higher among agricultural workers (84 deaths per 100,000 people) compared to the average for the general population (10 deaths per 100,000 people), based on figures from 2020. Previous research has identified access to means (e.g. poison and firearms, loneliness, and geographical isolation as key motivations behind self-harm and suicide. Additionally, farmers may suffer moral injury due to blame attached for climate change, and the ‘anti-meat agenda’. Gender disparities within the farming sector is also pervasive. Male farmers are subjected to stigma and fear of speaking out about issues that may be perceived as “unmasculine” – a key barrier to seeking help in times of distress. Farmers are an under-served population. They also may not recognise anxiety, depression and distress, and therefore may not seek help. It is therefore important to understand current provision of mental health support, and increase awareness of distress, anxiety and depression and the help that is available, to prevent self-harm and suicide. Methods We plan to interview a range of people, including:
Start / end dates: 1 January 2025 - 31 March 2026 Contact email: t.e.fisher1@keele.ac.uk |
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David Hunt - University of Exeter Project Title: Building Bridges: A Realist Synthesis to Understand the Needs of Men at Risk of Suicide Brief Summary: Male suicidality is a global issue and is particularly prevalent in the southwest of England, which has the third highest rate of suicide in the country. There are significant barriers preventing men from accessing help, with many completing suicide without ever having been in contact with healthcare services. Research indicates that men are more likely to seek support through informal channels and community initiatives. However, while these initiatives are often highly effective, they can be disconnected from the wider health and social care system, placing a considerable burden on individuals and communities when someone discloses suicidal thoughts. Therefore, research is essential to understand how these initiatives operate in such situations and how they might link to primary care services. This would help ensure continuity of care and appropriate support when men do reach out. The project aims to conduct an adapted realist synthesis to explore how men at risk of suicide are supported within community initiatives, and how this support integrates into a whole system of care, including access to primary care services. The study is based in Devon and Cornwall, with the goal of producing a set of recommendations for the local region. These findings will serve as a foundation for future research funding, highlighting areas in need of improvement and further investigation. Start / end dates: October 2024 - March 2026 Contact email: d.hunt3@exeter.ac.uk |
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Danielle Lamb / Victoria Williamson - University College London / University of Bath Project Title: Experiences and impact of moral injury among staff who work within the prison estate: a study to co-design a staff support program to promote mental well-being. Brief Summary: Staff working in prisons often face situations that challenge their moral beliefs. They may be required to do things, or witness things, they personally disagree with and can feel betrayed by those in authority. These experiences can cause 'moral injury' which is characterised by feelings of intense guilt, shame, and anger, and can lead to the development of mental health problems including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Reduced investment in the prison estate means that there are widespread issues of overcrowding, understaffing, and high workloads, which increase the risk of challenging situations for staff and prisoners. Staff experiencing psychological ill-health are less able to support prisoners. Providing better support to prison staff could improve their own wellbeing and allow them to carry out their roles more effectively, helping prisoners by improving interactions and the care provided. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of moral injury in prison staff, including prison officers and those providing healthcare in prisons, and to codesign a programme to better support staff wellbeing. If future testing shows the programme is effective, this codesigned programme could not only improve prison staff wellbeing and reduce staff turnover, but it could also have positive effects on prisoners by reducing staff stress and improving staff-prisoner interactions. This study is the first step in ensuring a large population of prisoners with complex needs are better cared for by staff who are healthier and happier. Start / end dates: 1 October 2024 - 31 March 2026 Contact email: d.lamb@ucl.ac.uk / vw217@bath.ac.uk |
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Kelly Mackenzie - University of Sheffield Project Title: PRAMS (Perinatal Redesign for Accessing Mental Health Services): Using experience-based co-design to improve access to perinatal mental health care for women in underserved groups. Brief Summary: Mental health problems in pregnancy and in the early days of parenthood are common. Recent research has shown there is a gap in access to mental health care for women from underserved groups, such as those from ethnic minority backgrounds or living in deprived areas. Some women experience delays or difficulties in getting access to mental health support and this can lead to problems with their health and their child’s development. Whilst we know this is an important issue, we do not yet fully understand the reasons that lead to these inequalities or how to address them. Using an approach called “Experience Based Co-Design” will allow us to put patients at the centre of the process to design and develop a solution to this problem. We will work with women who experience mental health problems in pregnancy and early parenthood to talk about the challenges of getting access to support. Through surveys and interviews we will explore the experiences of healthcare staff members who provide mental health support for women in this period. Women from local underserved groups will work with healthcare and public health professionals to co-design an intervention for mental health problems in pregnancy and early parenthood. We will work together to spread awareness of the intervention and our findings. Start / end dates: 1 October 2024 - 31 March 2026 Contact email: kelly.mackenzie@sheffield.ac.uk |
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Maria Michail - University of Birmingham Project Title: The role and contribution of the voluntary sector to the prevention of suicide among young people. Brief Summary: Suicide is a leading cause of death among young people in the UK. Many young people with self-harm or suicidal thoughts and behaviours do not access health services or seek professional help. This is particularly true for young people from marginalised groups (e.g., based on sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, socio-economic status) and those from rural or deprived areas who are at high-risk of suicide. Young people are more willing and likely to access informal support by the voluntary sector, including helplines and crisis cafés. Despite this, our understanding of why this is as well as how the voluntary sector responds to and collaborates with health services to support young people, is limited. This project responds to urgent policy calls by examining young people’s help-seeking behaviours when experiencing self-harm or suicidal thoughts and behaviour, to establish the “distinct” role the VCSE has or could have in their pathway to care; identify examples of good practice and areas where practice could be improved; and in which ways the VCSE and statutory sector could provide a more effective, integrated, collaborative care to young people. Start / end dates: 1 January 2025 - 31 March 2026 Contact email: m.michail@bham.ac.uk |
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Magdalena Mikulak - Lancaster University Project Title: Suicide, self-harm and people with learning disabilities: a scoping study Brief Summary: People with learning disabilities have poorer mental health than their non-disabled peers. People with learning disabilities, like other people, can self-harm, think about suicide, try to end their lives, and die by suicide. We know little about the experiences of adults with learning disabilities who think about suicide or try to end their lives and how best to support them in these situations. We have some evidence about self-harm and people with learning disabilities, but this is complicated by the use of different words and phrases. For example, self-harm in people with learning disabilities is sometimes called ‘self-injurious behaviour’. Sometimes self-harm is also understood as part of having a learning disability. When people with learning disabilities self-harm, others can understand their experiences as ‘challenging behaviour’. This can have an impact on what support people with learning disabilities receive. This research will review existing evidence about people with learning disabilities and self-harm and suicide. It will also help to clarify what we currently know about support for people with learning disabilities who self-harm and about suicide prevention for this group. We will also review how research on suicide and self-harm in adults with learning disabilities has been done. Start / end dates: 01 January 2025 - 28 February 2026 Contact email: m.mikulak@lancaster.ac.uk |
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Irene Petersen - University College London Project Title: Long-term consequences of perinatal depression Brief Summary: To Follow Start / end dates: 1 November 2024 - 28 February 2026 Contact email: i.petersen@ucl.ac.uk |
