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Steve Gillard

Professor of Mental Health

School of Health Sciences Division of Nursing

Contact details

Address

Steve Gillard MG21, Myddelton Street Building
City, University of London
Northampton Square
London EC1V 0HB
United Kingdom

About

Overview

Steve is a mental health services researcher whose research takes a social and community perspective on mental health. He has a particular interest in evaluating approaches to mental health care that validate the way in which people make sense of their own mental health, build relationships and enable connection to community, including interventions that are developed, delivered and led by people who have used mental health services. He leads an internationally recognised programme of NIHR-funded research on peer support in mental health services, currently exploring adaptation of peer support into different specialist mental health settings, peer-leadership roles in mental health services and online peer support.
Steve has other research interests in support for mental health crisis, addressing persistent health inequalities including race and mental health, and trauma-informed approaches to mental health care. His research takes a critical approach to the coproduction of knowledge, supporting and enabling researchers working from an explicitly experiential and survivor perspective to shape and change the way mental health research is done. Having begun as a qualitative researcher, his research brings randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental methods together with experiential knowledge to provoke and produce new insight.
Steve joined City in 2020 having previously been Professor of Social and Community Mental Health at St George’s, University of London (where he remains Visiting Professor). Prior to entering academia in 2005 he was a researcher for a local branch of the mental health charity Mind where he established and trained one of the UK’s first service user researcher teams. His formative research experiences explored youth, identity and conflict in the former-Yugoslavia.

Research

Research students

1st supervisor

Publications

Publications by category

Chapter

  1. Turner, K. and Gillard, S. (2011). 'Still out there?' Is the service user voice becoming lost as user involvement moves into the mental health research mainstream? Critical Perspectives on User Involvement (pp. 189–200). ISBN 978-1-84742-750-2.

Journal articles (72)

  1. Gillard, S., Dare, C., Hardy, J., Nyikavaranda, P., Rowan Olive, R., Shah, P. … Lloyd-Evans, B. (2021). Correction to: Experiences of living with mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: a coproduced, participatory qualitative interview study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 56(6), pp. 1113–1113. doi:10.1007/s00127-021-02073-1.
  2. Nguyen, J., Goldsmith, L., Rains, L.S. and Gillard, S. (2021). Peer support in early intervention in psychosis: a qualitative research study. Journal of Mental Health pp. 1–7. doi:10.1080/09638237.2021.1922647.
  3. Gillard, S., Dare, C., Hardy, J., Nyikavaranda, P., Rowan Olive, R., Shah, P. … Lloyd-Evans, B. (2021). Experiences of living with mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: a coproduced, participatory qualitative interview study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. doi:10.1007/s00127-021-02051-7.
  4. Faulkner, A., Kelly, K., Gibson, S., Gillard, S., Samuels, L. and Sweeney, A. (2021). Correction to: Respect for the journey: a survivor-led investigation of undergoing psychotherapy assessment. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. doi:10.1007/s00127-021-02053-5.
  5. Goldsmith, L.P., Anderson, K., Clarke, G., Crowe, C., Jarman, H., Johnson, S. … Gillard, S. (2021). The psychiatric decision unit as an emerging model in mental health crisis care: a national survey in England. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. doi:10.1111/inm.12849.
  6. Gillard, S., Banach, N., Barlow, E., Byrne, J., Foster, R., Goldsmith, L. … White, S. (2021). Developing and testing a principle-based fidelity index for peer support in mental health services. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. doi:10.1007/s00127-021-02038-4.
  7. King, C., Bennett, M., Fulford, K.W.M., Clarke, S., Gillard, S., Bergqvist, A. … Richardson, J. (2021). From Preproduction to Coproduction: COVID-19, whiteness, and making black mental health matter. The Lancet Psychiatry, 8(2), pp. 93–95. doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(20)30458-2.
  8. Faulkner, A., Kelly, K., Gibson, S., Gillard, S., Samuels, L. and Sweeney, A. (2021). Respect for the journey: a survivor-led investigation of undergoing psychotherapy assessment. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. doi:10.1007/s00127-020-02017-1.
  9. Sheridan Rains, L., Johnson, S., Barnett, P., Steare, T., Needle, J.J., Carr, S. … Simpson, A. (2021). Early impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health care and on people with mental health conditions: framework synthesis of international experiences and responses. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 56(1), pp. 13–24. doi:10.1007/s00127-020-01924-7.
  10. Sin, J., Elkes, J., Batchelor, R., Henderson, C., Gillard, S., Woodham, L.A. … Cornelius, V. (2021). Mental health and caregiving experiences of family carers supporting people with psychosis. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 30. doi:10.1017/s2045796020001067.
  11. Genziani, M., Gillard, S., Samuels, L. and Chambers, M. (2020). Emergency workers’ experiences of the use of section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983: interpretative phenomenological investigation. BJPsych Bulletin, 44(6), pp. 250–254. doi:10.1192/bjb.2020.21.
  12. Goldsmith, L.P., Smith, J.G., Clarke, G., Anderson, K., Lomani, J., Turner, K. … Gillard, S. (2020). What is the impact of psychiatric decision units on mental health crisis care pathways? Protocol for an interrupted time series analysis with a synthetic control study. BMC Psychiatry, 20(1). doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02581-5.
  13. Sin, J., Henderson, C., Cornelius, V., Chen, T., Elkes, J., Woodham, L.A. … Gillard, S. (2020). COPe-support - a multi-component digital intervention for family carers for people affected by psychosis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry, 20(1). doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02528-w.
  14. White, S., Foster, R., Marks, J., Morshead, R., Goldsmith, L., Barlow, S. … Gillard, S. (2020). The effectiveness of one-to-one peer support in mental health services: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry, 20(1). doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02923-3.
  15. Sweeney, A., Kelly, K., Kennedy, A., Clement, S., Ion, M., Kothari, G. … Gillard, S. (2020). Balancing closeness and distance through identity enactment: Psychological therapy assessments explored through the assessor-client dyad. Qualitative Research in Psychology pp. 1–25. doi:10.1080/14780887.2020.1808748.
  16. Johnson, S., Dalton-Locke, C., Vera San Juan, N., Foye, U., Oram, S., Papamichail, A. … Tzouvara, V. (2020). Impact on mental health care and on mental health service users of the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed methods survey of UK mental health care staff. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. doi:10.1007/s00127-020-01927-4.
  17. Hisham, I.N., Townsend, G., Gillard, S., Debnath, B. and Sin, J. (2020). COVID-19: the perfect vector for a mental health epidemic. BJPsych Bulletin pp. 1–7. doi:10.1192/bjb.2020.60.
  18. Gillard, S., Bremner, S., Foster, R., Gibson, S.L., Goldsmith, L., Healey, A. … White, S. (2020). Peer support for discharge from inpatient to community mental health services. Medicine, 99(10). doi:10.1097/md.0000000000019192.
  19. Mantovani, N., Gillard, S., Mezey, G. and Clare, F. (2020). Children and Young People “In Care” Participating in a Peer‐Mentoring Relationship: An Exploration of Resilience. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 30(S2), pp. 380–390. doi:10.1111/jora.12483.
  20. Rennick-Egglestone, S., Ramsay, A., McGranahan, R., Llewellyn-Beardsley, J., Hui, A., Pollock, K. … Slade, M. (2019). The impact of mental health recovery narratives on recipients experiencing mental health problems: Qualitative analysis and change model. PLOS ONE, 14(12). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0226201.
  21. Ng, F., Charles, A., Pollock, K., Rennick-Egglestone, S., Cuijpers, P., Gillard, S. … Slade, M. (2019). The mechanisms and processes of connection: developing a causal chain model capturing impacts of receiving recorded mental health recovery narratives. BMC Psychiatry, 19(1). doi:10.1186/s12888-019-2405-z.
  22. (2019). Conference Abstracts: European Academy of Nursing Science Summer Conference 2019. BMC Nursing, 18(S2). doi:10.1186/s12912-019-0370-y.
  23. Oborn, E., Barrett, M., Gibson, S. and Gillard, S. (2019). Knowledge and expertise in care practices: the role of the peer worker in mental health teams. Sociology of Health & Illness, 41(7), pp. 1305–1322. doi:10.1111/1467-9566.12944.
  24. Sin, J., Henderson, C., Woodham, L.A., Sesé Hernández, A. and Gillard, S. (2019). A Multicomponent eHealth Intervention for Family Carers for People Affected by Psychosis: A Coproduced Design and Build Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(8). doi:10.2196/14374.
  25. King, C. and Gillard, S. (2019). Bringing together coproduction and community participatory research approaches: Using first person reflective narrative to explore coproduction and community involvement in mental health research. Health Expectations, 22(4), pp. 701–708. doi:10.1111/hex.12908.
  26. Gillard, S. (2019). Peer support in mental health services: where is the research taking us, and do we want to go there? Journal of Mental Health, 28(4), pp. 341–344. doi:10.1080/09638237.2019.1608935.
  27. Collom, J.R.D., Davidson, J., Sweet, D., Gillard, S., Pinfold, V. and Henderson, C. (2019). Development of a peer-led, network mapping intervention to improve the health of individuals with severe mental illnesses: protocol for a pilot study. BMJ Open, 9(6). doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023768.
  28. Rennick-Egglestone, S., Morgan, K., Llewellyn-Beardsley, J., Ramsay, A., McGranahan, R., Gillard, S. … Slade, M. (2019). Mental Health Recovery Narratives and Their Impact on Recipients: Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry pp. 70674371984610–70674371984610. doi:10.1177/0706743719846108.
  29. Sweeney, A., Clement, S., Gribble, K., Jackson, E., Carr, S., Catty, J. … Gillard, S. (2019). A systematic review of qualitative studies of adults’ experiences of being assessed for psychological therapies. Health Expectations, 22(2), pp. 133–148. doi:10.1111/hex.12844.
  30. Goldsmith, L.P., Morshead, R., McWilliam, C., Forbes, G., Ussher, M., Simpson, A. … Gillard, S. (2019). Co-producing Randomized Controlled Trials: How Do We Work Together? Frontiers in Sociology, 4. doi:10.3389/fsoc.2019.00021.
  31. Sin, J., Woodham, L.A., Henderson, C., Williams, E., Sesé Hernández, A. and Gillard, S. (2019). Usability evaluation of an eHealth intervention for family carers of individuals affected by psychosis: A mixed-method study. DIGITAL HEALTH, 5, pp. 205520761987114–205520761987114. doi:10.1177/2055207619871148.
  32. Sweeney, A., Filson, B., Kennedy, A., Collinson, L. and Gillard, S. (2018). A paradigm shift: relationships in trauma-informed mental health services. BJPsych Advances, 24(5), pp. 319–333. doi:10.1192/bja.2018.29.
  33. (2018). European Academy of Nursing Science Summer Conference 2018: Leadership in Nursing: challenges for the future. BMC Nursing, 17(S1). doi:10.1186/s12912-018-0301-3.
  34. Sin, J., Henderson, C., Spain, D., Cornelius, V., Chen, T. and Gillard, S. (2018). eHealth interventions for family carers of people with long term illness: A promising approach? Clinical Psychology Review, 60, pp. 109–125. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2018.01.008.
  35. Holley, J. and Gillard, S. (2018). Developing and Using Vignettes to Explore the Relationship Between Risk Management Practice and Recovery-Oriented Care in Mental Health Services. Qualitative Health Research, 28(3), pp. 371–380. doi:10.1177/1049732317725284.
  36. Sin, J., Gillard, S., Spain, D., Cornelius, V., Chen, T. and Henderson, C. (2017). Effectiveness of psychoeducational interventions for family carers of people with psychosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 56, pp. 13–24. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2017.05.002.
  37. Gillard, S., Foster, R., Gibson, S., Goldsmith, L., Marks, J. and White, S. (2017). Describing a principles-based approach to developing and evaluating peer worker roles as peer support moves into mainstream mental health services. Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 21(3), pp. 133–143. doi:10.1108/mhsi-03-2017-0016.
  38. Giacco, D., Amering, M., Bird, V., Craig, T., Ducci, G., Gallinat, J. … Priebe, S. (2017). Scenarios for the future of mental health care: a social perspective. The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(3), pp. 257–260. doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(16)30219-x.
  39. Mezey, G., Robinson, F., Gillard, S., Mantovani, N., Meyer, D., White, S. … Bonell, C. (2017). Tackling the problem of teenage pregnancy in looked-after children: a peer mentoring approach. Child & Family Social Work, 22(1), pp. 527–536. doi:10.1111/cfs.12225.
  40. Mantovani, N., Pizzolati, M. and Gillard, S. (2017). Engaging communities to improve mental health in African and African Caribbean groups: a qualitative study evaluating the role of community well-being champions. Health & Social Care in the Community, 25(1), pp. 167–176. doi:10.1111/hsc.12288.
  41. Tuffrey-Wijne, I., Abraham, E., Goulding, L., Giatras, N., Edwards, C., Gillard, S. … Hollins, S. (2016). Role confusion as a barrier to effective carer involvement for people with intellectual disabilities in acute hospitals: findings from a mixed-method study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72(11), pp. 2907–2922. doi:10.1111/jan.13041.
  42. Gillard, S., Foster, R. and Papoulias, C. (2016). Patient and public involvement and the implementation of research into practice. The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, 11(4), pp. 256–267. doi:10.1108/jmhtep-02-2016-0014.
  43. Holley, J., Chambers, M. and Gillard, S. (2016). The impact of risk management practice upon the implementation of recovery-oriented care in community mental health services: a qualitative investigation. Journal of Mental Health, 25(4), pp. 315–322. doi:10.3109/09638237.2015.1124402.
  44. Gillard, S., Foster, R. and Turner, K. (2016). Evaluating the Prosper peer-led peer support network: a participatory, coproduced evaluation. Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 20(2), pp. 80–91. doi:10.1108/mhsi-12-2015-0045.
  45. Mezey, G., Robinson, F., Campbell, R., Gillard, S., Macdonald, G., Meyer, D. … White, S. (2015). Challenges to undertaking randomised trials with looked after children in social care settings. Trials, 16(1). doi:10.1186/s13063-015-0708-z.
  46. Gillard, S., Turner, K. and Neffgen, M. (2015). Understanding recovery in the context of lived experience of personality disorders: a collaborative, qualitative research study. BMC Psychiatry, 15(1). doi:10.1186/s12888-015-0572-0.
  47. Gillard, S. (2015). The redistribution of mental health care: good, bad or just a bit ugly? Journal of Mental Health, 24(6), pp. 339–341. doi:10.3109/09638237.2015.1057333.
  48. Gillard, S., Holley, J., Gibson, S., Larsen, J., Lucock, M., Oborn, E. … Stamou, E. (2015). Introducing New Peer Worker Roles into Mental Health Services in England: Comparative Case Study Research Across a Range of Organisational Contexts. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(6), pp. 682–694. doi:10.1007/s10488-014-0603-z.
  49. Mezey, G., Meyer, D., Robinson, F., Bonell, C., Campbell, R., Gillard, S. … White, S. (2015). Developing and piloting a peer mentoring intervention to reduce teenage pregnancy in looked-after children and care leavers: an exploratory randomised controlled trial. Health Technology Assessment, 19(85), pp. 1–510. doi:10.3310/hta19850.
  50. Gillard, S., Gibson, S.L., Holley, J. and Lucock, M. (2015). Developing a change model for peer worker interventions in mental health services: a qualitative research study. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 24(5), pp. 435–445. doi:10.1017/s2045796014000407.
  51. Sweeney, A., Gillard, S., Wykes, T. and Rose, D. (2015). The role of fear in mental health service users’ experiences: a qualitative exploration. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 50(7), pp. 1079–1087. doi:10.1007/s00127-015-1028-z.
  52. Holley, J., Gillard, S. and Gibson, S. (2015). Peer Worker Roles and Risk in Mental Health Services: A Qualitative Comparative Case Study. Community Mental Health Journal, 51(4), pp. 477–490. doi:10.1007/s10597-015-9843-y.
  53. Gillard, S., White, R., Miller, S. and Turner, K. (2015). Open access support groups for people experiencing personality disorders: Do group members' experiences reflect the theoretical foundations of the SUN project? Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 88(1), pp. 87–104. doi:10.1111/papt.12031.
  54. Chambers, M., Gallagher, A., Borschmann, R., Gillard, S., Turner, K. and Kantaris, X. (2014). The experiences of detained mental health service users: issues of dignity in care. BMC Medical Ethics, 15(1). doi:10.1186/1472-6939-15-50.
  55. Tuffrey-Wijne, I., Goulding, L., Gordon, V., Abraham, E., Giatras, N., Edwards, C. … Hollins, S. (2014). The challenges in monitoring and preventing patient safety incidents for people with intellectual disabilities in NHS acute hospitals: evidence from a mixed-methods study. BMC Health Services Research, 14(1). doi:10.1186/1472-6963-14-432.
  56. Gillard, S. and Holley, J. (2014). Peer workers in mental health services: literature overview. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 20(4), pp. 286–292. doi:10.1192/apt.bp.113.011940.
  57. Tuffrey-Wijne, I., Goulding, L., Giatras, N., Abraham, E., Gillard, S., White, S. … Hollins, S. (2014). The barriers to and enablers of providing reasonably adjusted health services to people with intellectual disabilities in acute hospitals: evidence from a mixed-methods study. BMJ Open, 4(4). doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2013-004606.
  58. Gillard, S.G., Edwards, C., Gibson, S.L., Owen, K. and Wright, C. (2013). Introducing peer worker roles into UK mental health service teams: a qualitative analysis of the organisational benefits and challenges. BMC Health Services Research, 13(1). doi:10.1186/1472-6963-13-188.
  59. CHAMBERS, M., GILLARD, S., TURNER, K. and BORSCHMANN, R. (2013). Evaluation of an educational practice development programme for staff working in mental health inpatient environments. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 20(4), pp. 362–373. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2850.2012.01964.x.
  60. Steve, G., Katie, A., Christine, E., Mike, L., Stephen, M., Lucy, S. … Sarah, W. (2012). Informing the development of services supporting self-care for severe, long term mental health conditions: a mixed method study of community based mental health initiatives in England. BMC Health Services Research, 12(1). doi:10.1186/1472-6963-12-189.
  61. Gillard, S., Simons, L., Turner, K., Lucock, M. and Edwards, C. (2012). Patient and Public Involvement in the Coproduction of Knowledge. Qualitative Health Research, 22(8), pp. 1126–1137. doi:10.1177/1049732312448541.
  62. Gillard, S., Borschmann, R., Turner, K., Goodrich-Purnell, N., Lovell, K. and Chambers, M. (2012). Producing different analytical narratives, coproducing integrated analytical narrative: a qualitative study of UK detained mental health patient experience involving service user researchers. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 15(3), pp. 239–254. doi:10.1080/13645579.2011.572673.
  63. Lucock, M., Gillard, S., Adams, K., Simons, L., White, R. and Edwards, C. (2011). Self-care in mental health services: a narrative review. Health & Social Care in the Community, 19(6), pp. 602–616. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2524.2011.01014.x.
  64. Turton, P., Demetriou, A., Boland, W., Gillard, S., Kavuma, M., Mezey, G. … Wright, C. (2011). One size fits all: or horses for courses? Recovery-based care in specialist mental health services. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 46(2), pp. 127–136. doi:10.1007/s00127-009-0174-6.
  65. Gillard, S., Turner, K., Neffgen, M., Griggs, I. and Demetriou, A. (2010). Doing research together: bringing down barriers through the ‘coproduction’ of personality disorder research. Mental Health Review Journal, 15(4), pp. 29–35. doi:10.5042/mhrj.2010.0736.
  66. Gillard, S., Turner, K., Lovell, K., Norton, K., Clarke, T., Addicott, R. … Ferlie, E. (2010). “Staying native”: coproduction in mental health services research. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 23(6), pp. 567–577. doi:10.1108/09513551011069031.
  67. Gillard, S., Borschmann, R., Turner, K., Goodrich-Purnell, N., Lovell, K. and Chambers, M. (2010). ‘What difference does it make?’ Finding evidence of the impact of mental health service user researchers on research into the experiences of detained psychiatric patients. Health Expectations, 13(2), pp. 185–194. doi:10.1111/j.1369-7625.2010.00596.x.
  68. Borschmann, R.D., Gillard, S., Turner, K., Lovell, K., Goodrich-Purnell, N. and Chambers, M. (2010). Demographic and referral patterns of people detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act (1983) in a south London Mental Health Trust from 2005 to 2008. Medicine, Science and the Law, 50(1), pp. 15–18. doi:10.1258/msl.2009.009003.
  69. Borschmann, R.D., Gillard, S., Turner, K., Chambers, M. and O'Brien, A. (2010). Section 136 of the Mental Health Act: a new literature review. Medicine, Science and the Law, 50(1), pp. 34–39. doi:10.1258/msl.2009.009004.
  70. Gillard, S. and Stacey, E. (2005). All talk: experiencing userled research. A Life in the Day, 9(2), pp. 27–30. doi:10.1108/13666282200500017.
  71. Gillard, S. (2001). Winning the peace: Youth, identity and peacebuilding in Bosnia and Herzegovina. International Peacekeeping, 8(1), pp. 77–98. doi:10.1080/13533310108413880.
  72. Batchelor, R., Gulshan, S., Shritharan, H., Williams, E., Henderson, C., Gillard, S. … Sin, J. Perceived acceptability and experience of COPe-support - a digital psychoeducation and peer support intervention: Interview study with carers supporting individuals with psychosis (Preprint). . doi:10.2196/preprints.27781.