Increasing research capacity and capability in a mental health and community trust in England

Bifarin, O ORCID: 0000-0002-8247-2508 (2026) Increasing research capacity and capability in a mental health and community trust in England. Mental Health Practice, 29 (2). ISSN 1465-8720

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Abstract

Mental health services require equitable, effective care, anchored in robust research led by frontline disciplines such as nursing and allied health. England’s Chief Nursing Officer’s (CNO) research strategy aims to embed evidence generation within routine practice, empowering nurses to lead, participate in, and deliver research. Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust exemplifies this by integrating research into routine practice to enhance care quality. Investments driving NIHR Senior Research Leadership, the 'Count Me In' system, and the Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M-RIC) showcase innovative models for research participation and leadership. This paper highlights the urgent need to build mental health research capacity, identifies gaps in leadership, participation and workforce skills, and shows via Mersey Care NHS FT examples how strategic frameworks can improve research culture and practice. These efforts bridge clinical practice with evidence-based care, highlighting the pivotal role of under-represented disciplines in research in driving sustainable healthcare improvements through evidence-informed practices.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1110 Nursing; 1701 Psychology; 1702 Cognitive Sciences; 4205 Nursing; 5203 Clinical and health psychology
Subjects:	R Medicine > RT Nursing
Divisions:	Nursing and Advanced Practice
Publisher:	RCNi
Date of acceptance:	18 November 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	6 May 2026
Date Deposited:	05 May 2026 12:56
Last Modified:	06 May 2026 00:50
DOI or ID number:	10.7748/mhp.2026.e1782
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28435

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