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: To Follow 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: To Follow 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: To Follow Start / end dates: 1 January 2025 - 31 March 2026 Contact email: apinvoices@contacts.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 |
