Isabel Hanson
Award title: DPhil in Primary Care
Project Title: Youth mental health hubs: case studies in the UK and Australia
Brief Summary: Youth mental health needs are common (1 in 6 young people have a diagnosable mental health condition in the UK) and often unmet, despite strong evidence that early intervention improves long-term outcomes and is cost-effective. Accessible, person-centred care models sensitive to disadvantage and diversity are urgently needed. One such model is the ‘youth mental health hub’ (YMHH), a one-stop shop service providing assessment, advice, and referral.
Some YMHHs are already established in UK. The Child and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition (CYPMHC) has launched a campaign to #FundtheHubs, asking government to fund co-designed YMHHs. A similar model (Headspace) was introduced in Australia in 2006. Headspace is widely depicted as a ‘successful’ health system innovation, but while some hubs are popular, well-embedded in the local healthcare ecosystem and linked to improved outcomes, others have had less success.
My research will use case study methodology to compare four YMHHs (2 in UK and 2 in Australia), sampling both highly successful and less successful examples but focusing primarily on the former. I will use Cooperrider’s strengths based Appreciate Inquiry approach to develop rich, contextualised accounts of thriving YMHHs, and comparative case study methods to consider transferability.
Patient and user participation will be a major component, engaging youth representative groups early to ensure the voices and needs of young people are incorporated throughout the research process. Findings will feed into much-needed policy advocacy for youth mental health services in the UK.
Start date: 9/10/2023
End date: 01/06/2026