CLAHRC Professional Focus Group
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Learning from your views: help and support for people living with severe mental health issues across North West Coast communities
IRAS ID
185661
Contact name
Steve Jones
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 31 days
Research summary
NOTE: This is not a research project – this work is a consultation process to inform the development of a proposal for future research in collaboration with the CLAHRC North West Coast.
There is substantial evidence for the benefits of psychological interventions across mental health conditions, including psychosis and severe recurrent mood disorders, as recognised by respective NICE guidelines (NICE, 2014a; NICE 2014b) which recommend both evidence-based information and structured psychological support. However access rates are low and likely to be worse in areas of greater adversity and for people of lower socio-economic status; moreover appropriate psychological interventions may help to tackle the negative consequences of a range of interlinked inequalities experienced by low-income individuals with severe mental health problems living in deprived areas. This study aims to learn more about the specific issues faced by individuals living with psychosis/severe recurrent mood disorders in deprived communities across the North West Coast region and to understand the type of help that this population group want, including mental health information and support to enhance recovery and wellbeing. We plan to recruit up to 10 professionals/members of staff who have experience of supporting these individuals through Local Authorities and voluntary organisations, clinicians and commissioners to take part in a focus group/individual interviews. A semi-structured topic guide will inform focus group discussions/interviews, which will be recorded, transcribed, pseudonymised and subjected to thematic analysis. The study will be fully compliant with good clinical practice guidelines, and Lancaster University ethics procedures, and monitored by an experienced Principal Investigators (PI, Professor Steven Jones). The findings of the study will inform the development of specific forms of support, including mental health information and psychological therapy delivered through a suitable format for the population group. Results of the research may also be submitted for publication in an academic peer-reviewed journal.
REC name
N/A
REC reference
N/A