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A therapist and client. Photo Polina Zimmerman @Pexels<\/p>\n A therapist and client. Photo Polina Zimmerman @Pexels<\/p>\n
Mark Mansfield<\/p>\n
Wales is to become the first country to test an open-access mental health support system on a national scale as part of a \u00a33.4m research programme.<\/p>\n
The four-year study will examine whether allowing people to seek help without going through traditional referral routes can improve access to services, patients\u2019 experiences and their mental health outcomes.<\/p>\n
Under the model, people will be able to access support on the same day they ask for help and have greater choice over the type of assistance they receive.<\/p>\n
The \u00a33.4m Programme Grant for Applied Research has been awarded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and will fund a national evaluation of the approach.<\/p>\n
The move comes amid increasing demand for mental health support and concerns over waiting times.<\/p>\n
It also forms part of the Welsh Government\u2019s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy for 2025-35, which sets an ambition for Wales to become the first nation to achieve same-day mental health support.<\/p>\n
The strategy says services should be \u201cperson-centred, needs-led and recovery-focused\u201d, with people guided to the appropriate support without delay.<\/p>\n
A central principle of the strategy is a \u201cno wrong door\u201d approach, under which people should be able to approach any part of the system and be directed to appropriate support without delay.<\/p>\n
The evaluation will be led by NHS Wales Performance and Improvement alongside Cardiff University\u2019s Centre for Trials Research and School of Healthcare Sciences.<\/p>\n
Swansea University, Northumbria University, Public Health Wales, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board and ProMo-Cymru will also be involved.<\/p>\n
People who have used mental health services will participate through patient panels and stakeholder groups, helping researchers assess how the changes work in practice.<\/p>\n
Ciara Rogers, National Director of Mental Health, Learning Disability and Neurodiversity for NHS Wales Performance and Improvement, said: \u201cWhile evidence suggests that early intervention and greater choice through an open access model can improve outcomes, this approach has never been evaluated at national scale.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis substantial investment will allow us to understand whether open access mental health services are truly making a difference for people in Wales by improving access to support, enhancing experiences of care and delivering better outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n
National evaluation<\/p>\n
Dr Rachel McNamara, Director of the Brain Health and Mental Wellbeing Division at Cardiff University\u2019s Centre for Trials Research and co-chief investigator, said the project would bring together the NHS, universities, the third sector and people with experience of using services.<\/p>\n
Tony Cope, Expert by Lived Experience and co-chair of the Mental Health Research and Evidence Network, said: \u201cThe NIHR funding for the Open Access Mental Health Support programme evaluation is a vital opportunity to understand what genuinely works for people using mental health support, and why.<\/p>\n
\u201cI welcome this investment in evidence that values lived experience, strengthens learning across Wales, and helps shape services that are more accessible, responsive and rooted in what matters to people.\u201d<\/p>\n
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