Evaluating the effect of Community Mental Health services

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Evaluating the effect of Community Mental Health services on the lives of people with mental health problems in England over a time of economic insecurity

• IRAS ID

  231248

• Contact name

  Corine Driessens

• Contact email

  c.m.driessens@soton.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Southampton

• Duration of Study in the UK

  4 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Recent cross-sectional studies have shown that the 2008 financial crisis and the subsequent introduction of ‘austerity measures’ increased demand for UK mental health services, and tended to limit the supply of community mental health services. To date, there have been no population-based studies that have examined the effect of changes and continuities of Community Mental Health services on the life experience of Community Mental Health service users in England.
  This study will capitalise on recent opportunities for accessing administrative and survey data in England and bring together, and link, various sources of secondary quantitative information gathered between 2006 and 2016 to create a first ever large retrospective cohort of Community Mental Health service users in England. The first phase of this study will gather and link longitudinal observational data, describe the cohort, and explore temporal and regional variations in services provided to service users in England from 2006 to 2016. If successful, phase 2 of the project will be implemented to explore which aspects of Community Mental Health services have constrained or enabled service users to participate in all facets of community life over this period of economic instability and identify how the relationship between Community Mental Health services and well-being is constrained or modified by the individual’s social context (neighbourhood characteristics, availability of social and mental health care resources). The research will be steered by a multidisciplinary research team and guided by an advisory group representing the stakeholders of this study. Dissemination activities, in large part facilitated and led by the Mental Health Foundation, will promote dialogue among the stakeholder groups and ease the way for improving the mental health research using administrative data sources in England.

• REC name

  London - London Bridge Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  18/LO/0107

• Date of REC Opinion

  5 Feb 2018

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion