Research

Mental Health and Learning Disability

The Department of Mental Health and Learning Disability has developed an impressive research profile and made a significant contribution to the School's success in the 2008 Research Assessment exercise (RAe). We are now one of the leading centres for mental health research in the country, having secured a range of funded contracts through competitive bidding.

Amongst our strengths is the variety of research interests and a strong focus on collaborative work with local service providers, service users and carers, and academics nationally and internationally.

We aim to address key issues facing consumers and employees of mental health services and seek to ensure that departmental teaching and learning is informed by recent and ongoing research activity.

Additionally, we have evaluated a number of innovative approaches to teaching and learning in mental health education, including client attachment, harm reduction in substance use, service user involvement and online learning.

Research themes

Our main research programmes focus on:

  1. Improving patient experiences and outcomes; user involvement and collaboration: investigating the impact of greater collaboration with services users on quality of care; patient experiences; outcomes and recovery across the life-span in various service settings; care planning and co-ordination; risk assessment and management; and involving mental health service users in research.
  2. Transitions in care: investigating how to provide effective care in transitions within and between health care services (e.g. between hospital and community services; between age-related services; between physical and mental health care) including studies in liaison psychiatry, haemodialysis units, forensic psychiatry and in substance use and dual diagnosis.
  3. Diversity in mental health care: researching and addressing mental health needs and care amongst a diverse population; includes studies focusing on women's and maternal mental health care, ethnicity and cultural issues in mental health care; and sexuality and mental health.


Current or recent studies include:

For more information about any of our research activities, please contact:

Professor Alan Simpson, Professor of Collaborative Mental Health Nursing
Email: A.Simpson@city.ac.uk   
Tel: 0207 040 5937

Details of recently completed projects exploring conflict and containment in psychiatric inpatient settings, led by Professor Len Bowers can be found at www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/departments/?locator=436

Information about research in East London NHS Foundation Trust can be found at www.eastlondon.nhs.uk/rande/

Research infrastructure

There is a strong research culture and infrastructure in the department with many research active staff and a high proportion holding or currently undertaking PhDs. We have a strong record of publishing research and educational outputs and frequently present our work at local, national and international conferences. Research activity is supported through regular research meetings, individual supervision, mentoring, training and support.

We also support and facilitate SUGAR: Service User Group Advising on Research, a well established group of service users and carers that meet with us monthly to collaborate on all research projects.

The Institute of Mental Health Nursing

In 2009, East London NHS Foundation Trust and City University London's Department of Mental Health and Learning Disabilities in the School of Health Sciences formed the joint Institute of Mental Health Nursing (IMHN). The IMHN aims to provide a unified partnership approach to mental health nurse pre- and post-registration education across the two organizations, aligning education and research closely to practice needs and establishing a joint culture of excellence. The key aim of the IMHN is to improve the quality of care for service users in East London. Our partnership with East London NHS Foundation Trust has enabled us to expand our research team through the joint-funding of several new research posts.

Clinical Academics

Through the Institute, East London NHS Foundation has generously supported senior nurses and occupational therapists to undertake the Masters programme in Interprofessional Mental Health (Adult or Child and Adolescent) at City University and work with the mental health research team for two years as Clinical Academics. The scheme gives staff an opportunity to develop a thorough understanding of research and its relationship to clinical practice and service management; observe project management in operation; contribute clinical expertise and understanding to the research programme; learn research skills and approaches (rigor, objectivity, logical thinking); understand the research career pathway for clinical professionals, and the opportunities it offers, and to achieve a Masters level qualification. Members of the research team provide supervision and guidance to the Clinical Academics who attend the department's research meetings and contribute valuable clinical expertise to our research projects.

PhD and Masters Students

We are keen to support people interested in undertaking high quality research in mental health at PhD or Masters Level, so if you would like to discuss your ideas further please contact:

For PhDs:  Dr Julia Jones    

Email: J.Jones-4@city.ac.uk
Tel: 0207 040 5485

For Masters' Degrees:  Dr Louise Phillips

Email: L.A.Phillips@city.ac.uk
Tel: 0207 040 5950