Lancashire residents to benefit from 'destigmatising' mental health project
Lancaster University has been awarded almost £11m to carry out pioneering mental health research that will be rooted in the communities that stand to benefit from it most.
The cash will be used to support an initiative designed to move research into mental health conditions out of traditional clinical settings and directly into local areas across Lancashire and South Cumbria.
The work will focus on locally identified priorities and be delivered alongside residents to develop what is being described as “a more proactive, preventative model of care”.
Evidence shows that Lancashire and South Cumbria have specific mental health support needs, which the new funding aims to meet.
More than 13,000 people in the area have been diagnosed with a severe mental illness, while Blackpool has the highest rate of deaths linked to addiction and suicide in England.
Lancaster has been chosen as one of five newly-created Mental Health Research Groups (MHRG) across England as part of a wider £55m investment by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The Lancashire-based project will focus on the unique needs of the local population. In partnership with the University of Manchester and King’s College London, researchers will create a ‘Voices with Impact Hub’ intended to destigmatise mental health conditions and support and involve people who rarely take part in research.
They will explore ways to support people with severe and complex mental health needs, particularly mothers, and people suffering from drug or alcohol problems, whilst also encouraging attendance at GP health checks.
Professor Steven Jones, Professor of Clinical Psychology and joint lead of the Lancaster NIHR MHRG said: “People with complex mental health challenges need more accessible effective support that seeks to address their priorities and needs. This funding will enable us to work at scale across research and practice to codesign, test and implement new inclusive interventions in partnership with people with lived experience to improve mental health outcomes in the North West.”