Co-production in mental health research: reflections from the People Study
| Date | 14 December 2015 |
| Pages | 220-231 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/MHRJ-09-2015-0028 |
| Published date | 14 December 2015 |
| Author | Vanessa Pinfold,Paulina Szymczynska,Sarah Hamilton,Richard Peacocke,Shirley Dean,Naomi Clewett,Jill Manthorpe,John Larsen |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health |
Co-production in mental health research:
reflections from the People Study
Vanessa Pinfold, Paulina Szymczynska, Sarah Hamilton, Richard Peacocke, Shirley Dean,
Naomi Clewett, Jill Manthorpe and John Larsen
Dr Vanessa Pinfold is Research
Director at McPin Foundation,
London, UK.
Paulina Szymczynska is
Researcher at Unit for Social
and Community Psychiatry,
Newham Centre for Mental
Health, Queen Mary University
of London, London, UK.
Sarah Hamilton is Research
Manager at The McPin
Foundation, London, UK.
Dr Richard Peacocke is
Independent Ex-services
Mental Health Researcher
in Poole, UK.
Shirley Dean is Director
at All Together Positive,
Stockport, UK.
Naomi Clewett is Senior
Researcher, The McPin
Foundation, London, UK.
Jill Manthorpe is Professor
at Social Care Workforce
Research Unit, King’s College
London, London, UK.
John Larsen is Head of
Evaluation Team, Drinkaware,
London, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the process of co-producing mental health research
where work was shared between university academics, charity-based researchers and a Lived Experience
Advisory Panel.
Design/methodology/approach –The authors express theopinions of a research team made up of people
with experience of using mental health services, being carers and being academically trained researchers
from a range of health and social science disciplines. Some had experience in several areas. The paper is
co-produced to provide collective reflection and recommendations.
Findings –Co-production of research is not well documented in published literature. The authors believe
there is scope to develop co-production approaches, but further conceptual and theoretical work is needed
alongside empirical studies. A socially situated complex research project, possibly involving multi-stakeholder
groups, demands flexibility in approach. Similarly to user-controlled and other emancipatory methodologies,
co-production makes the democratisation of research a primary objective in order to produce better quality
and more relevant studies. Co-production also addresses inequalities in power and control within research
projects; this way of working does provide a healthy challenge to traditional research hierarchies.
Practical implications –Lessons learned should be honestly shared to develop co-production research
methods. Projects need to have a strategy for how to value different contributions and facilitate constructive
relationships if discord emerges. Establishing clear project roles, expectations and process for payment are
essential in developing genuine collaborative partnerships.
Originality/value –It is a viewpoint paper.
Keywords Research, Mental health, Mental health services, Co-production, Carers, Researchers
Paper type Viewpoint
Introduction
Co-production is an approach that is gaining currency in public services as a way of drawing on
diverse expertise to achieve shared goals, particularly for service development (Needham,
2008; Realpe and Wallace, 2010; Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), 2013). Boyle and
Harris (2009) provide a working definition: “Co-production means delivering public services in
an equal and recipro cal relationship b etween professio nals, people using s ervices, their
families and their ne ighbours. Where act ivities are co-pro duced in this way, bot h services
and neighbourhoods become far more effective agents of change”(p. 11). Writing on
co-production emphasises the principles underpinning this approach to building equal
relationships: re cognising people as asse ts; promoting recipr ocity; valuing work diff erently;
building social networks (New Economics Foundation (NEF), 2013). In mental health,
co-production pr inciples are incre asingly being used to develop recovery-oriented services
such as peer worker models (Repper, 2013).
Received 29 September 2015
Revised 29 September 2015
Accepted 12 October 2015
PAGE220
j
MENTALHEALTH REVIEW JOURNAL
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VOL. 20 NO. 4 2015, pp. 220-231, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1361-9322 DOI 10.1108/MHRJ-09-2015-0028
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