Co-designing Mental Health Services: An Evaluation of the Experiences of Black and Asian Communities in Bradford and its Impact on their Care

This interdisciplinary and collaborative studentship will assess the role of co-design in the development of new mental health services. It is a collaboration between the Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust and the Faculty of Health Studies at the University of Bradford. It embodies our joint commitment to improving the wellness and health of marginalised communities who face the highest rates of mental health inequality.

The studentship will focus on the experience of Black and Asian mental health service users and carers in the co-design process, and the impact this has on their trust in, and satisfaction with the service model and the care they receive. This constitutes an essential part of de-colonising mental health services. We anticipate real world impact at a local, regional and national level in how service users engage in co-design in the future.

The successful applicant will be fully embedded within Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust (BDCT) working as an integral part of the mental health leadership team, evaluating the impact of the services' approach and effectiveness in co-design as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. They will work with stakeholders across the Bradford district to gain feedback via interviews, focus groups and surveys to assess the impact of co-design on community attitudes and service satisfaction.

Health inequality is a priority area in both Bradford and West Yorkshire Integrated Care System. The study will not only inform the BDCT future pathways of codesign, but all five NHS trusts across the network, with national applicability and importance, particularly for other Health Care Authorities with similarly high levels of ethnic and racial diversity, and poverty.