Researchers, practitioners and communities come together to discuss shift change in mental health services

An event brought together partners in the services, voluntary and community sector to showcase the new Mental Health Research Group

Researchers, practitioners and communities come together to discuss shift change in mental health services

An event brought together partners in the services, voluntary and community sector to showcase the new Mental Health Research Group

Mr Alan Williams

Media and Communications Manager

Corporate Communications (Marketing and Communications)

13 November 2026

Academics, health and care groups, community representatives and people with lived experience came together at the start of a major research programme centred in the South West.

The University of Plymouth’s Mental Health Research Group received funding earlier this year from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to support a five-year programme of work.

It is exploring why care and support systems for people engaged with mental health services are not working, with the aim of ensuring services work more effectively for individuals, communities and staff.

This week’s event provided an opportunity for people from across the programme to get together, discuss the five interconnected research projects, and to hear from the people and communities who will benefit from the research.

Held in the Urban Room, the day included presentations, discussions and interactive activities, with guests given a research passport that enabled them to discover projects being undertaken by the MHRG and meet the teams involved.

It gave guests the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas, and explore ways to work together to improve services through an innovative research approach, in which learning about how the mental health system is working can drive improvements in services and people’s experiences of care.

The Plymouth programme is one of five MHRGs created by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR). Its partners include the NIHR ARC South West, other UK universities and research groups, health and care providers, and representatives from the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.

I’ve spent a lot of my career trying to help those living with some form of mental health condition, and finding ways to support the people caring for and working with them.

So this project is really important to me, as it brings together mental health workers and GPs, the communities I've been working in, and research colleagues. Through our work, we are trying to make a difference in a very tricky environment. The enthusiasm and engagement we've seen at this event, and through the project so far, is further evidence that I believe we've got the right ingredients to achieve that.

Professor Richard Byng
Professor of Primary Care Research and lead of the Mental Health Research Group

It's really important to have been able to get everybody together because each of us has a role to play in the Mental Health Research Group.

When we started this journey, we had an idea that the group would be a place for everybody that cares about mental health in the South West of England to gather around. I hope those who came along now have a clearer understanding of what we're doing as a group, and what our system balance and mental health learning system programmes of research are all about, and that they will continue to share their ideas and thoughts as the projects develop.

Dr Rebecca Hardwick
NIHR ARC South West Senior Research Fellow and Mental Health Research Group co-lead

The programme aims to expand the scale and scope of mental health research expertise in the region.

It is initially centred on a set of projects connected by the theme of addressing imbalances in the mental health system, and that pay particular attention to groups who face challenges in accessing current mental health provision, including: people with serious mental health and complex emotional needs; people with intellectual disabilities; university students; and communities where there is potential to improve how people support themselves and each other. All of those groups were represented in some way at the launch event.

As a former GP, and someone who has used mental health services for many years, I know the challenges people face when trying to find the right help at the right time.

But what I really want to move away from is the sense that people are broken and waiting for the system to fix them. This Group is all about trying to rectify the imbalances and injustices in the system, finding ways to make a real difference to people's day-to-day lives, and ensuring the people with the greatest need get the right help when they need it.

Dr Mary RYAN
The Mental Health Research Group's lived experience co-applicant

Mental Health Research Group

The Plymouth programme is one of five additional Mental Health Research Groups (MHRGs) being created through an investment of almost £55 million by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). It is being led by researchers at the University of Plymouth, working with colleagues from the School of Psychology, the Plymouth Business School and CIDER – Cornwall Intellectual Disability Equitable Research. The programme also involves academic partners from the NIHR ARC South West, the University of Exeter, Kings College London, the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, and the McPin Foundation.

The Mental Health Research Group will involve people accessing mental health services and community groups providing mutual support, as well as voluntary sector organisations – such as the Zebra Collective and Improving Lives Plymouth – and social and primary care providers. The four main NHS mental healthcare organisations – Livewell South West, the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Devon Partnership NHS Trust and Cornwall Foundation Trust – are also key partners.

Mr Alan Williams

Mental Health Research Group

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