People in inner‑city and rural areas face greater barriers to accessing mental health support, a challenge a new NIHR‑funded research group aims to address.
(L-R Professor Matthew Broome, Dr Jesse Kigozi, Professor Elizabeth McDermott, Professor Isabel Morales-Munoz, Dr Emma Cernis, Professor Amy Grove)
A multi-disciplinary group of researchers from the University of Birmingham is a major partner in a new £11 million NIHR-funded Mental Health Research Group (MHRG), led by Keele University, with King’s College London as a key collaborator.
The funding will establish a Mental Health Research Group (MHRG) to address the mental health needs of the North-West Midlands and increase capacity for applied research across the region.
The partnership brings together expertise from across the University of Birmingham, including the Institute for Mental Health (IMH), Centre for Evidence and Implementation Science (CEIS) and The Mental Health Mission Midlands Translational Centre, to explore ways to reduce mental health inequalities and reach under-served groups.
Mental health difficulties are the largest cause of disability in the UK. To better understand how to support individuals, the new research group will work closely with Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and focus on both inner city and rural areas of Shropshire and Staffordshire, where mental health conditions are often worsened by high levels of poverty, unemployment and deprivation.
Prof Amy Grove, Professor of Implementation Science in the College of Social Sciences and Birmingham Co-Lead of MHRG said: “As researchers we value the opportunity to rigorously evaluate mental health care innovation as it happens. By combining trials and real-world evidence, the NHS can ensure research is shaped by what actually happens to patients in primary care mental health services.”
“Our aim is to support Keele University to bridge the gap between mental health research and everyday care, ensuring that research reflects the realities of patients’ lives and leads to more meaningful, scalable improvements in mental health outcomes. Incorporating real-world evidence with patients’ real-world experience helps to design studies and development mental health services that are more inclusive, relevant, and impactful.”
By combining trials and real-world evidence, the NHS can ensure research is shaped by what actually happens to patients in primary care mental health services.
Dr Isabel Morales-Muñoz, Assistant Professor in Psychology in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences and Birmingham Co-Lead of MHRG said: “The MHRG represents a significant step forward in translating high-quality mental health research into meaningful change for communities across the Midlands. Through our established partnership, the University of Birmingham is contributing specialist Mental health and Implementation Science and methodological expertise, alongside mentorship, to help ensure that mental health interventions developed in primary care are both evidence-based and grounded in lived experience.”
The whole programme of work was developed collaboratively with people with lived experience of mental health difficulties and local community organisation partners. They will continue to shape the research agenda, working with the research teams as well as contributing to studies as research participants. One of the public contributors who worked with the research team on the application said: “I love the fact that this whole application is co-produced. We have included people with lived experience at every stage.”
The MHRG represents a significant step forward in translating high‑quality mental health research into meaningful change for communities across the Midlands.
Dr Gary Lamph at Keele University and Co-lead investigator of MHRG said: “The MHRG will develop and test innovative, effective strategies to meet the needs of local people who have previously found accessing care difficult. We will share our findings directly with local organisations and policymakers to ensure lasting, widespread impact.”
Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham at Keele University and Co-lead investigator of MHRG said: “The huge impact of mental ill health, especially among under-served groups, means new strategies to make care more effective are urgently needed. This award will also put Keele on the map as national experts in primary and community mental health research.”
Professor Claire Henderson, Clinical Professor of Public Mental Health at King’s College London, said: “We at King’s are very excited to join as a partner with Keele together with Birmingham to help deliver research that will: benefit the local population; generate evidence for underserved populations elsewhere; and develop research capacity to extend these benefits over the long term.”
The University of Birmingham MHRG team is:
Professor Matthew Broome, Dr Emma Cernis, Shahara Choudhry, Professor Amy Grove, Tracey Hill, Dr Jesse Kigozi, Professor Elizabeth McDermott, Dr Isabel Morales‑Munoz and Dr Ameeta Retzer.
Professor of Psychiatry and Youth Mental Health
Professor Matthew Broome is Director of the Institute for Mental Health. He is interested in the onset of mental disorders in young people.
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology
Dr Emma Černis is a clinical psychologist with expertise in complex mental health difficulties. Her research focuses on understanding dissociative experiences from a cognitive-behavioural perspective.
125th Anniversary Chair
Amy is a Psychologist and Professor of Implementation Science. She is the Director of the Centre for Evidence and Implementation Science (CEIS)
Associate Professor in Health Economics
Staff profile for Jesse Kigozi who is an Associate Professor in Health Economics within the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Birmingham, UK.
Professor of Mental Health & Society
Professor Elizabeth McDermott is Chair of Mental Health and Society in the School of Social Policy and Society, University of Birmingham
Assistant Professor in Psychology
Dr Morales-Muñoz's main area of research is to investigate risk factors for youth mental health.
Associate Professor
Ameeta is a mixed methods researcher with expertise in outcome methodology, applied health, health inequalities and public health, and research equity.
