Co-producing not just involving: The lessons learned from an emancipatory action research project into mental health recovery

2014 Conference

Abstract: In the past ten years new policy drivers have emerged which extol the virtues of wider public and patient involvement in health research. It’s been suggested that it has the potential to enhance the quality of research whilst also reducing waste of both time and money. This paper draws on the lessons learned from such a research project funded by the National Institute for Health Research to look at if there is a pathway to mental health recovery through care coordination.

The project sets out to explore not only this research question, but additionally the challenges and opportunities for mental health service users and carers to go beyond straightforward involvement to actively co-producing research with academics and other professionals. They have all worked and learned together within the project to design the questionnaires and interviews used, collected the data, analysed the findings and disseminated the emerging themes. Along the way practical issues such as gaining ethical approval, obtaining honorary contracts, arranging researcher and participant payments have proved challenging. In particular how to recognise and value different expertise within the research group has been a focus for on-going discussion.

This paper will facilitate an honest exploration of this co produced work through the lived experience of those mental health service users and carers who became researchers within the project. The work will also offer a series of suggestions and principles for good research practice in this area.