Mental Health Awareness Week in May is often framed as a moment to raise visibility but awareness alone does not transform systems. The persistence of unmet need, inequity in access, and widespread dissatisfaction with community mental health services suggests that we already know a great deal about the problem. The question now is how we act differently. From a research and social care perspective, that means rethinking not only what we do, but how - and with whom - we do it.
Exactly one year ago, CIRCLE made a small step - or at least, this was the aim - in this direction, thinking about the problem of inequality, accessibility and the importance of working together in mental health. I led a very small project with Dr Julie Walsh to explore how collaboration in mental health research could be strengthened. It was never intended as a standalone intervention, but as the starting point for a reflection and an action plan to enhance collaboration between academic and non-academic stakeholders in mental health research. This first project was followed by another time-limited initiative bringing together professionals, academics, and - crucially - people with lived experience of mental distress to look into the use of data and mental health. This was part of a bigger project run by IMPACT on Using Data to Improve Services. What emerged from these early works was not just a set of findings, but a growing recognition: meaningful change in mental health requires sustained, structured collaboration across boundaries that have historically remained siloed. The CIRCLE project did not stop at identifying problems. It set out practical next steps to build a more connected and collaborative mental health research ecosystem:
- Creating shared communication platforms to align priorities and opportunities
- Developing a centralised network or “matchmaking” system to connect expertise across sectors
- Hosting dedicated networking spaces to build relationships intentionally
- Establishing ongoing forums for professionals, academics and lived experiences to discuss specific issues of mental health and establish collaborations.
These are not grand, abstract solutions. They are tangible steps toward a more coordinated, inclusive approach to mental health research - one that reflects the realities of the communities it seeks to serve.
Reimagining Community-Based Mental Care research theme
CIRCLE is now converging these ideas into the Reimagining Community-Based Mental Care research theme. The theme builds directly on the relationships, insights, and momentum generated through that initial exploratory project. Its purpose is to create a sustained, collaborative space for critical, inclusive, and practice-oriented mental health research - one that meaningfully integrates academic expertise with the knowledge held by practitioners, third sector organisations, and experts by experience.
At its core, this work asks fundamental questions:
- How is community-based mental health care currently understood, organised, and delivered?
- How is it experienced by those who rely on it?
- And how might it be reimagined to better reflect the realities of people’s lives across different social, cultural, and institutional contexts?
These questions are not being asked in isolation. They resonate strongly with recent national developments, including the House of Commons Committee report on Community Mental Health Services published in December 2025, which highlighted deep dissatisfaction with the current community mental health system, emphasised the need for service reform, and introduced the Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre pilot programmes currently underway across England as a potential solution. The current pilots represent more than incremental reform—they signal a strategic shift towards a community-based model, drawing inspiration from international examples such as the Trieste approach.
The CIRCLE research theme aligns closely with this national direction but it also introduces a critical note of caution. Transforming mental health care is not simply a matter of redesigning services or relocating care into community settings. It requires a deeper cultural shift. In other words, without addressing underlying assumptions, and power structures, new models risk reproducing the very dynamics they seek to replace. This is where research has a vital role to play - not as an abstract exercise, but as a practical, embedded tool for change. The strategic purpose of the CIRCLE mental health theme is to develop the theoretical, historical, and sociological foundations needed to support and stabilise this transition toward community-based care. Without a robust research framework, even the most promising innovations risk being absorbed back into institutionalised thinking and the inertia of established systems.
Importantly, this work continues to centre the lessons from that initial collaborative project. The barriers identified then remain highly relevant: fragile funding structures, limited capacity, particularly in the voluntary sector, fragmented networks, and persistent tensions between different ways of understanding mental health. But alongside these challenges sits a clear direction of travel.
The emphasis is on readiness and relationship-building:
- investing in partnerships before funding opportunities arise
- creating shared infrastructures for knowledge exchange
- embedding collaboration within organisations rather than relying on individuals
- and ensuring that lived experience is not an afterthought, but a driving force
Co-production is not a slogan in this context: it is a necessary condition for relevance, legitimacy, and impact. It shifts the focus from designing services for people to designing them with people, recognising that those who experience mental health challenges hold essential knowledge about what works, what doesn’t, and what needs to change.
Mental Health Awareness Week, then, becomes more than a symbolic moment. It is an opportunity to connect these strands: lived experience, research, policy momentum, and community action.
An Invitation
As this emerging research theme moves into its next phase, we are inviting colleagues, partners, and communities to be part of this growing conversation.
The official launch of the CIRCLE Mental Health Theme will take place on 23rd June. This initiative brings together academics, practitioners, third sector organisations, policymakers, and people with lived experience to explore how community-based mental health care is shaped across social, institutional, and cultural contexts.
At its core: collaboration and co-production
Launch event: 23rd of June 12–5pm (light networking lunch provided)
Places are limited, so we encourage you to register as soon as possible to this link. Participation support (including fees) is available for those who are not currently in paid work - please get in touch for more information: m.t.ferazzoli@sheffield.ac.uk
This Mental Health Awareness Week, the challenge is not just to raise awareness but to help shape what comes next.
