MINDS study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Coproducing improved mental health acute inpatient discharge using a Systems Approach: MINDS study
IRAS ID
315309
Contact name
Jonathan Wilson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 31 days
Research summary
Around 50,000 people leave mental healthcare hospitals every year. Leaving hospital (being discharged) is a critical transition point in terms of personal recovery. Many find discharge overwhelming and distressing. There is a risk of becoming unwell again and around 13% of people quickly go back into hospital. A poorly planned discharge can also increase the risk of suicide. Research shows that identifying people’s needs after they leave hospital and making clear personalised plans can help to support people move safely from hospital to home. However, two national surveys with a total of 1,341 people found that 40% of people leaving mental health hospitals have no plan in place to support them after they leave.
This study forms part of a larger research project, funded by the National Institute of Health Research, aiming to improve discharge for service users. There are many complicated reasons why discharges are not well or collaboratively planned. This could include a lack of understanding of how staff, service users and carers/supporters can work together to plan discharge, the way that staff relate to service users, limited resources, and pressures on staff. This study is a realist review and evaluation. The realist review will synthesise relevant research literature on discharge to develop theory relating to ‘what works’, ‘for whom’, ‘in what circumstances’ and ‘how it works’. The review will enable us to understand the contexts and linked mechanisms of change for effective discharge. We will then conduct a realist evaluation to develop and consolidate this theory. This will involve interviews and focus groups with key people who have experienced/ are involved in discharge (service users, carers and staff). It will also involve ward-based observations across the three research sites. The theory will be the basis for coproducing a Systemic Discharge Care Approach in a future study.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/YH/0122
Date of REC Opinion
17 Jun 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion