NIHR PSRC Network event: Patient Safety and Mental Health by Long Phan Thanh

I am a first-year PhD student at Newcastle University's Patient Safety Research Collaboration. My primary focus is on safer multi-long-term condition management in underprivileged populations. The idea to include the mental health of head and neck cancer patients with numerous long-term diseases in my research came to me when I was creating my PhD research plan because it appeared to be a novel element that had not been covered in many previous articles.

I was delighted  to attend the NIHR PSRC Network event, Patient Safety and Mental Health, in Leeds to talk with other experts from various universities about challenges and opportunities related to patient safety in mental health research.

 

Dr Judith is leading the workshop discussion session

I was pretty concerned about my lack of research experience and understanding of mental health on the train ride to Leeds. I was also worried about not knowing many attendees, however, a tangible energy filled the area when I stepped into the conference room and I felt immediately at ease. Dr Judith Johnson, University of Leeds, started the day with an activity in which different groups discussed current issues in mental healthcare research and raised possible solutions. Attendees were encouraged to have  in-depth discussions and ignite meaningful collaborations. This was an opportunity for me to express my personal opinions and receive helpful feedback from other researchers. Different viewpoints blended and swirled throughout the workshop discussion, creating insightful dialogues. During the meeting, buy-in from stakeholders and ethical constraints appeared to be oner of the most significant issues or probable causes of the research deviating from initial objectives.

Dr Lindsay and her presentation: Coproduction in mental health

Speakers from other universities presented throughout the morning session. Honestly, I don't have the expertise to evaluate the information and results but I do think the discussions on  new words and approaches in mental healthcare research were significant. For example, the implementation of Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) – regardless of whether mental health will be a crucial component of my research, this could be a helpful source of information for my anticipated longitudinal study.

I was captivated by Dr. Lindsay Dewa's talk from Imperial College London. Her recommendations for incorporating staff and discriminatory information into upcoming mental health research have inspired me with an innovative concept. In my doctoral research, I should take them into account as possible confounders, as my study is on inequality. This was also the first time I heard about the term "co-produced mixed methods longitudinal study that examined youth mental health status and strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. When this paper is published, I assume it will be a must-read.

Following the networking lunch, with casual talks about prospects for future partnerships and the sharing of contact information, we returned to the afternoon session which focussed on suicide and self-harm prevention. In my home country, Vietnam, to my knowledge, suicide has not been a significant social problem. Therefore, I assumed that it was not an issue in a western developed country, such as the UK. I was astounded by the statistical data since I had never considered the importance of suicide and self-harm prevention in the UK. It's only the beginning, according to Professor Roger Webb of The University of Manchester, as there may be a significant underreporting of non-fatal teenage self-harm. The assessment of psychological safety in healthcare settings provided me with more helpful information that I can use in my upcoming studies.

 

Professor Roger Webb presents research on Suicide and Self-harm prevention

As the day came to an end, Professor John Baker emphasised the significance of continued cooperation, advocacy, and innovation to bring about significant change in this crucial area of healthcare. My experience at the NIHR PSRC Network Event on Patient Safety and Mental Health was nothing short of transformative. It brought me a wealth of knowledge and a new understanding of mental health research and patient safety settings. I believe that the impact of this event will undoubtedly extend far beyond the confines of the conference room as researchers present various interesting ongoing research projects, and I cannot wait to read them. This network has the capability to transform the mental healthcare system by encouraging collaboration and communication, resulting in improvement in the quality of care that every person receives.