Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTR)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An Evaluation of Secondary Care Mental Health Treatment Requirements.
IRAS ID
339957
Contact name
Louise Robinson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
Many people who attend court have complex mental health problems. They often find it difficult to access treatment. A Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR) can be given instead of a short prison sentence by courts in England/Wales, if the person agrees. People with a MHTR must attend treatment for their mental health problem as part of a community sentence. Secondary Care MHTRs (SC-MHTR) are for people who need specialist treatment. Until now, courts have ordered few SC-MHTRs. The NHS has funded three courts in England (‘proof-of-concept’ sites) to investigate whether more people could benefit from SC-MHTRs. The aim is to improve mental health and reduce the number of people with severe mental health problems in prison. The NHS would like to increase SC-MHTRs in England and Wales and needs to learn the best way to do this. There is no research evidence about how to increase use of SC-MHTRs, whether they affect health, or if they work for different people and in different places.
This study will examine how people use SC-MHTRs at the proof-of-concept sites and in one site in Wales. We want to know if SC-MHTRs are working, who for, how and why. This will enable us to design an evaluation of SC-MHTRs effectiveness. Data will be collected in three ways: (1) a scoping review of NHS SC-MHTR documentation; (2) realist interviews with SC-MHTR developers, staff, patients, and their carers; and, (3) examination of anonymised NHS/Justice routine datasets.
We aim to answer the following research questions:
1. How is the SC-MHTR being delivered?
2. What works, for whom at each of the study sites, and what are the mechanisms that underpin this?
3. What can we learn from the sites about improving delivery across different geographic, socio-economic, and organisational contexts?
4. How should we evaluate a future full national SC-MHTR programme?REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
24/WA/0267
Date of REC Opinion
30 Oct 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion