At a House of Lords event in early June, researchers from Keele and Durham Universities presented findings from two significant studies aimed at improving healthcare and research engagement for women in prison living with severe mental illness.
Hosted by Baroness Sarah Hyde, the event brought together policymakers, researchers, healthcare professionals, and senior stakeholders from the prison and health sectors to discuss new approaches to supporting one of the most vulnerable populations within the criminal justice system.
Among the projects featured was Professor Tammi Walker's Three Schools Award-funded initiative, "Improving Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement with Imprisoned Women with Severe Mental Illness." The project explored how women with lived experience of imprisonment and severe mental illness can be more meaningfully involved in shaping research, ensuring that studies and their outputs better reflect the needs and experiences of those directly affected.
The event also highlighted a wider programme of work funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), examining how primary care services for women in prison can be improved and how patient and public involvement can be strengthened within prison-based research.
One of the studies, co-led by Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham OBE, Professor of General Practice Research at Keele University and Honorary Professor of Primary Care Mental Health at Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT), and Professor Tammi Walker of Durham University, investigated the provision of primary healthcare for women in prison and opportunities for service improvement. The study was hosted by MPFT.
Professor Walker also led the patient engagement study, which focused on developing more inclusive and effective approaches to involving imprisoned women in research. Both studies were presented at the House of Lords event, showcasing the importance of lived experience in informing future policy and practice.
Professor Tammi Walker added: “What’s been most important in this work is doing it alongside women with lived experience. Through meaningful PPIE, and with Paula Harriot’s leadership of the LEAG, we’ve been able to make sure those voices genuinely shape the research. We’re also very grateful to the NIHR for supporting this work. For us, that’s a feminist commitment not just listening to women but taking their knowledge seriously and building it into change.”