MeTowardsn tal HealthHealth Se rvice and Queen’s Anniversary Prize Po pulation Resea rch at the In stitute Developing and evaluating of Psychiatry high-quality, topical teaching Number 5 | 20 10 Should you tell your boss about your mental health? Estia Centre marks 10 th anniversary Global effort to combat stigma Supporting victims of violence What do young carers want? Welcome to this issue of Towards Mental Health Graham Thornicroft is a Professor of Community Psychiatry and Head of the Health Service and Population Research Department. Welcome to the 2010 edition of Towards Mental l i Health . It tells you about some of the work of m a J the Health Service and Population Research n a h Department at the Institute of Psychiatry, e R King's College London. Our Department has recently been honoured to be awarded the 2010 Queen's Developing and evaluating Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education. This distinction is an indicator high-quality, topical teaching of the quality, reach and impact of our work, and I would like to thank all members of our research teams and our many partners in the 84 countries with whom we collaborate A new MS c in Global Mental Health is to be launched jointly worldwide for their contributions to this success. by HSPR and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical If you wish to visit our Department, or study Medicine. The latest addition to the expanding portfolio with us, or discuss research or teaching links, please do contact us. Meanwhile, I trust that of teaching and training within HSPR follows the launch this issue of Towards Mental Health contains information that will be interesting and useful of the Centre for Global Mental Health in 2009 (see page for you. 5) in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The new taught programme will be delivered jointly by both organisations and students will ultimately learn how to contribute to improving mental health care in low and middle income countries. he person who is charged with getting health strategy New Horizons , and this new the new MS c off the ground (hopefully module reflects that priority. It’s important by September 2011 ) and co-ordinating to us to give students a maximum amount T all educational activities in HSPR is of choice too,’ says Stuart. Development Stuart Lancashire (above) . work is continuing to see if it is viable to As Head of the Department’s Section for turn the new module into a stand-alone Teaching and Learning, Stuart is responsible MS c in Public Mental Health in future. for advising on the feasibility of, and facilitating Three short courses created by the new ideas for education: there are other new Mental Health Nursing team are already MS cs in the pipeline, and many proposals to on HSPR ’s books. That team now has nurse supplement the package of short courses already tutors and is collaborating with South London offered. ‘We need to make sure the Department and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust ( SL aM) has the capacity to offer all teaching and training and Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust to focus to a high standard,’ he says. ‘We don’t want on designing courses that specifically meet to be a mass producer of education – our main the needs of the workforce. Thus the team priority is quality and innovation. We have huge was commissioned by SL aM to develop expertise and experience to draw upon within a short course to give health professionals the Department, and want to offer high quality the knowledge and skills they need to support education in areas that are cutting edge and children and adolescents with a dual diagnosis reflect current thinking.’ of mental health problems and substance misuse, Published by Health Service and Population Research at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London So, for example, a new module on public and a short course targeted at mental health David Goldberg Centre mental health has been developed and is now workers supporting older adults with a dual De Crespigny Park on offer to students studying for the MS c in diagnosis. ‘We piloted the two courses, then Denmark Hill London SE5 8AF Mental Health Service and Population Research , evaluated them, and demonstrated they improve www.hspr.iop.kcl.ac.uk (previously called Mental Health Services attitudes and confidence, and enhanced skills,’ Written and designed by Jane Smith and Sophie Gibson Research ), one of two long-established MS cs said Stuart. ‘This is really giving the NHS what Inside Out, 020 7655 0885 housed in HSPR . (The other is Mental Health it wants, identifying training needs, developing Printed by Calverts April 2010 Social Work with Children and Adults ). courses that meet those needs and are relevant ‘Public health and preventative work has to Trust strategies, and then evaluating them. Throughout the publication, the Health Service and Population Research Department is referred to as ‘ HSPR ’. become a priority for the Department of Health ‘All our training programmes are The Institute of Psychiatry is referred to as ‘I oP’. for the next 10 years, as outlined in its mental systematically evaluated so their gains 3 Work of HSPR wins Queen’s Anniversary Prize are demonstrated, providing the evidence ‘People said they wanted to come here,’ he work of the HSPR research to show they work properly. We evaluate he says. Tgroup has won a prestigious them using standard research methodology September 2009 witnessed HSPR ’s first Queen’s Anniversary Prize for – and that is not standard practice. But it is Masterclass for junior academic psychiatrists Higher and Further Education. what the Institute of Psychiatry ( IoP) is best from across the UK and overseas, commissioned The awards are given every at – using its particularly high level of expertise by the National Institute for Health Research, two years to recognise work to develop evidence-based, innovative, cutting keen to tempt people into research careers. of outstanding excellence in edge training.’ The week-long Masterclass included teaching UK universities and colleges. Stuart started his career as a motor sessions, meetings with researchers to discuss King’s College London was mechanic, learning through an apprenticeship project proposals and a Dragon’s Den style one of 21 2009 winners announced and working in the trade for six years before event where participants pitched ideas to senior in November: the prize medal studying for a first degree in Philosophy and members of the IoP. One of those pitches almost and certificate were presented Sociology. He switched careers, joining the immediately became a collaborative project, by the Queen at Buckingham NHS as a nursing assistant before studying studying rare movement disorders in psychosis Palace in February this year. for a masters in Mental Health Social Work that are under-recognised and under-treated. The King’s entry highlighted at Oxford. While working as a mental health ‘We’ve established an alumni database and the work of HSPR and was called social worker in Greater Manchester, he are putting people in touch with one another Excellence in Mental Health Care: was asked to be part of a research project as well as keeping in touch with all of them Putting Evidence into Practice . at Manchester University, and took a year to alert them to opportunities to get involved The submission details examples out to join a team working on a trial comparing in work here,’ says Stuart. The Masterclass of HSPR ’s work both around the inpatient care with day hospital care for acutely has been recommissioned this year. world and at home, and begins: ill patients. And then there are the short, stand-alone ‘The Health Service and Population ‘About a year later, I was invited back courses. ‘People have very good ideas for Research Group is committed again, and I then became stuck on research short courses, and it is my job to see if they to enabling the recovery and and teaching,’ he says. ‘I went to work at are feasible and then make them happen,’ says improving the quality of life the University as a social research worker, Stuart, who is also responsible for marketing of people with mental health interviewing carers of people with severe and existing and new programmes and courses. problems and their families enduring mental illness, and then moved from A short course for mental health professionals throughout the world. We that job to the School of Nursing in Manchester, about reducing the use of coercive interventions passionately believe that working on a programme run at the University in mental health care will be on offer from people with mental health of Manchester and the IoP to train community September 2010 and was the suggestion of problems should be treated psychiatric nurses to offer effective care to Professor George Szmukler. Dr Diana Rose with dignity, as equals, and have people with a diagnosis of a severe mental from the Service User Research Enterprise access to effective treatments, illness.’ The development and evaluation is putting together a one-day course about tailored to their preferences of the original ‘Thorn course’ was funded how to engage service users and carers in and needs.’ by the Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust. research and service development. It will be The Queen’s Anniversary ‘Thorn nurses are the mental health piloted in summer 2010 and, if the evaluation Prizes sit within the national equivalent of Macmillan nurses in cancer,’ proves it to be successful, will be added to honours system. All universities says Stuart. ‘I worked on that project for the short course portfolio. and colleges in the UK are invited three years, and was here at the IoP every Everyone who contributes to educational to make a single entry, which then week for a day or two.’ In 1997 , he came programmes within HSPR is part of the goes through several rounds of full-time, joining the Mental Health Nursing Section for Teaching and Learning, which rigorous assessment.