Welcome to the NIHR Mental Health Policy Research Unit’s (MHPRU’s) newsletter, bringing you an update on recent and current projects and reports. The PRU conducts rapid research to inform policy at DHSC, NHS England, OHID and other government and arms-length bodies, delivering a programme agreed with policy makers including analytical colleagues. Researchers are mainly based at UCL and Kings College London, and we work with a national network of experts and a very active Lived Experience Working Group of service users and carers who are involved in our research.

Since 2017 we have delivered research on a wide range of topics with a wide range of methods. Topics for major programmes have included the Mental Health Act, Complex Emotional Needs, COVID-19 and telemental health, peer support, the mental health needs of autistic people, and evaluation of the national Every Mind Matters campaign. The Unit is led by Prof Sonia Johnson (UCL), with co-Director Prof Alan Simpson (Kings) and Deputies Prof Bryn Lloyd-Evans and Dr Kylee Trevillion.

You can find out more about our work on the Project pages or in our recent newsletters, or get in touch via dop.pru@ucl.ac.uk