ARC EM part of new mental health care and research network

Topic
Date published
23/03/2021

A new NIHR-funded network of organisations working in mental health care and research has launched a scoping exercise to identify unmet needs in mental health care in England, and to help prioritise high-impact solutions.

The Mental Health Implementation Network aims to drive national collaborations and changes in mental health practice, and is funded by the NIHR for three years from October 2020. 

The network is a collaboration of service users, local communities, health and care providers, commissioners and a range of regional and national stakeholders, including charities and local government. It is led by NIHR ARC South London, working closely with NIHR ARC East of England, as well as the other 13 ARCs nationally, including ARC East Midlands. 

Identifying unmet mental health needs

The aim of the scoping exercise is to identify specific areas of mental health care where there is unmet need, and which could be addressed through existing evidence-based solutions at scale. The idea is to support new or adapt existing interventions or models of service delivery, that meet the needs of patients and health systems, and are ready for implementation.

This will be done as part of a wider exercise, including a review of research evidence and workshops with stakeholders, to identify and prioritise interventions to improve mental health care in England across the life course, including children and young people’s mental health.

Scoping exercise

For the scoping exercise, the Network invites anyone involved in mental health care to complete a short questionnaire on unmet mental health needs and proposed solutions.   

Working with its members and drawing on evidence, the Network will use the results of the questionnaire to help it identify three or four solutions that can be implemented across England.   

Download and complete the questionnaire