Meet the research team
The main research team that coordinate the project are:
- Dr Louise Robinson (Joint Principal Investigator)
- Dr Sandra Flynn (Joint Principal Investigator)
- Dr Kerry Guttridge (Project Manager)
- Leanne Heathcote (Research Associate)
- Dr Clare Scollay
Our co-applicants include expertise from The University of Manchester, Cardiff University, The University of Northampton, Northumbria University, University College London, Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust and service user consultants. The Project Management Team (Co-Applicants & collaborators) are:
- Professor Pamela Taylor
- Professor Matthew Callender
- Professor Wendy Dyer
- Professor Jenny Shaw
- Professor Racheal Hunter
- Dr Lesley-Anne Carter
- Dr Jane Senior
- Thabiso Nyathi
- Martin Sullivan
- Chloe Carter
- John Richardson (PPIE Panel Advisory Panel Member)
- Sarah Markham (PPIE Panel Advisory Panel Member)
- Nathan Southall (PPIE Panel Advisory Panel Member)
Project background
Many people who attend court have severe and complex mental health problems. They often find it difficult to access treatment. They can face stigma, homelessness, financial and substance problems. A prison sentence can make these problems worse and does not help their mental health.
A Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR) can be given instead of a short prison sentence by courts in England and Wales if the person agrees. It means that they must attend for treatment of their mental health problem as part of a community sentence. Secondary MHTRs are for people who need specialist mental health care. Until now, courts have ordered very few Secondary MHTRs. The NHS has given money to three courts in England, called ‘proof-of-concept’ sites, to investigate whether more people could benefit from secondary MHTRs. They think that this could improve their mental health and reduce the number of people with severe mental health problems going to prison. The NHS would like to see an increase in Secondary MHTRs across the country and needs to learn the best way to go about this. There is no research evidence about how to increase use of Secondary MHTRs. We also do not know if they affect health, or if they can work for different people and in different places.
Project aims
- This study will examine how people use Secondary MHTRs at the proof-of-concept sites and at a Welsh site.
- We want to know if Secondary MHTRs are working, who for, how and why. This will let us tell the NHS the best way to introduce them across the country.
- We also aim to develop a way to measure their effect on health and on NHS costs across the country in future.
Research design
We will get information in three ways:
- Review documents about people’s expectations about Secondary MHTRs
- Hold interviews with people who designed the MHTR, staff, patients, and their families
- Examine NHS records that describe patients on MHTRs and MHTR numbers
Further information
Click on the link below to see National Institute for Health and Care Research for details of the funding award.
This study is registered with the ISRCTN. The register supports transparency in clinical research and the details of this study can be found by following the link below.
Participant Information video
The transcript of this video has also been translated into Welsh below:
Thank you for taking the time to find out more about the Secondary Care MHTR Evaluation project.
Contact us
Division of Psychology & Mental Health, School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, 2nd Floor Jean McFarlane Building, Oxford Road, M13 9PL.
Email: kerry.gutridge@manchester.ac.uk