A new national research study is set to explore how people experience Mental Health Act assessments and develop better support for service users afterwards.
The SHARE study, which stands for Supporting Honest And Reflective Engagement, is open to adults across Sussex.
Researchers say many people describe Mental Health Act assessments as confusing, distressing or unfair, with most saying they never had the chance to talk through what happened afterwards.
The research team will work with service users, staff and wider stakeholders to co-design and test a new type of post-assessment support. This would involve a structured, compassionate conversation about the assessment, aiming to increase feelings of fairness and involvement, strengthen trust and support future care planning.
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is one of three NHS sites involved, alongside Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and North London NHS Foundation Trust.
The study is funded by a National Institute for Health and Care Research Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship.
Mark Hayward, Director of Research at SPFT, said: "Service users have helped us to understand that the experience of being assessed under the Mental Health Act can be distressing - at a time when distressed is already heightened.
"This important study will help us to understand how the distress associated with an assessment can be reduced, and how conversations after the assessment can facilitate the development of therapeutic relationships that can promote the process of recovery"
Louise Blakley, lead researcher and NIHR Doctoral Fellow at the School for Social Care Research, University College London, said: “This study began with something a service user said to me: that nobody had ever spoken to them about their Mental Health Act assessment, even though it was confusing, distressing and had a big impact on their recovery.
"People often don’t understand who was there, why decisions were made, or what their rights were. By creating a safe space to talk afterwards, I hope we can improve people’s sense of fairness, strengthen relationships with staff, and help make this part of the mental health system work better for those who experience it.”
The study aims to improve understanding after assessments, strengthen therapeutic relationships and support better care planning.
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