The Birmingham Recovery College: A qualitative evaluation
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Birmingham Recovery College: A qualitative evaluation of a mental health and well-being initiative
IRAS ID
226545
Contact name
Imran Ali
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newman University
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 25 days
Research summary
Although launched in April 2012, it is still very early to establish whether or not Recovery Colleges have a positive impact on those involved, e.g., lead to fewer hospital admissions. But what is anecdotally apparent is that for a small investment Trusts get a lot more out than with traditional approaches. Provision is still patchy and not everywhere has invested in the Recovery College model.
The main emphasis and aims of this research are to evaluate the development of the Birmingham and Solihull Recovery College via the examination of personal, lived experiences of service users, carers, family members and staff that are either involved with or attend the college. Exploring and attempting to develop an understanding of the experiences of those involved will enable the researcher to track progress and potentially propose any changes compared with the original proposal. The completed overall PhD evaluation project will allow rigorous conduct and transparent reporting which are essential tools in evaluation.
Specifically, this study aims to interviews participants who have been involved in the early development of the recovery college, in order to evaluate its development and inform future practice (or future recovery colleges elsewhere in the UK/internationally). This is required as there is very limited literature on recovery colleges, and obviously no evaluation or evidence base for the newly established Birmingham and Solihull Recovery College.
REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
17/NI/0120
Date of REC Opinion
18 Jul 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion