Managing innovation in mental health recovery research

Introduction

The current mental health system faces multiple challenges including over-use of compulsion, low satisfaction with services, supporting outcomes such as recovery and wellbeing, and system-level phenomena such as health inequalities and human capacity limitations. Innovation is needed.

Method

The ambition of the Recovery Research Team, based in the Institute of Mental Health at University of Nottingham, is to conduct first-in-field research relating to mental health recovery. To maximise impact, this means that our research group has had to develop approaches to managing innovation. The aim of this talk is to describe our approach to developing and conducting innovative research in relation to mental health recovery.

Results

We identify four components needed for managed innovation. First, strategic ambition needs to be explicit, visible and shared. Our approach is to develop related programmatic studies, where each programme is specified in relation to one or more of topic, methodology or population. Second, the aspect of innovation needs to be consistent, to build expertise over time. Our approach is to look at mental health issues from a non-standard perspective. This counter-cultural thinking will be illustrated using multiple funded studies conducted by RRT. Third, all team activities, processes and, most importantly, culture need to be aligned with the strategic ambition. We describe our resulting specific approaches in relation to (a) interdisciplinary research and (b) lived experience involvement throughout our research. Finally, effective management is vital for high performance, both to maximise reach and significance of findings and as a moral imperative in any tax-payer funded research group.

Conclusions

The Recovery Research Team is at the forefront of global innovation in understanding and supporting mental health recovery, both within and beyond the mental health system. Our approaches to managed innovation may have relevance to other related research groups.