Research unit to bring evidence to forefront of mental health policy

King’s College London and UCL are leading the establishment of a new policy research unit, the NIHR Mental Health Policy Research Unit, which will bring mental health researchers, clinicians, service users and carers closer together. The main aim of the unit is to provide research to inform policy makers.

Commissioned by the Department of Health through the NIHR’s Policy Research Programme following an open competition, the policy research unit will be hosted at UCL, jointly led by UCL and King’s, alongside researchers from City, University of London and Middlesex University. It is funded at a cost of £5m for five years.

“We are pleased that the Department of Health are funding the NIHR Mental Health Policy Research Unit,” said Professor Paul McCrone (King’s College London), co-director of the unit. “This presents a unique opportunity for the academic community to work closely with clinicians and service users in influencing and supporting mental health policy over the coming years. A major strength of the unit is its multi-disciplinary focus, bringing together quantitative and qualitative research, implementation science, and my own field of health economics.”

King’s College London and UCL are leading the establishment of a new policy research unit, the NIHR Mental Health Policy Research Unit, which will bring mental health researchers, clinicians, service users and carers closer together. The main aim of the unit is to provide research to inform policy makers.

Professor Ian Everall, Executive Dean of the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, said: “We are delighted to be leading this major new research unit with UCL, which will ensure mental health services across the UK are based on good evidence. Our world-leading researchers are joining an unparalleled network of expertise, spanning child and adult psychiatry and psychology, nursing, social care and service user research.”

Health Minister, Lord O’Shaughnessy said: “Mental health is a major priority for this Government. We are working hard to put mental and physical health on an equal footing and have put record funding in mental health services. This new research unit will bring together a team of high calibre researchers to help government make the right, evidence-based decisions for people with mental health issues.”

Read the full story on the  King’s College London website.