A major research award has been secured to evaluate a pioneering approach to mental health support across Wales, aiming to improve access, patient experience and outcomes for people in need of care.
Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the £3.4m Programme Grant for Applied Research will support a national evaluation of open access mental health services over four years.
The move to open access services, designed to give people faster, more flexible support when they need it, comes in response to growing demand and long waiting times for mental health support.
Under the new model, people will be able to access support without traditional referral routes, receive help on the same day they ask and choose the type of support that best meets their needs.
The SAIL Databank, as the national Trusted Research Environment (TRE)for Wales, will play a central role in the programme by providing secure access to anonymised, linked population-scale data to support the evaluation of this programme.
Utilising the SAIL Databank, the programme will establish a national baseline of mental health service utilisation before the implementation of the new model using linked health records from the last 10 years (2015–2025). Further analysis will combine existing SAIL data with new data generated from Health Boards in Wales around service and user feedback, and an economic evaluation to understand the effectiveness, sustainability, and value for money of these new services.
Professor of Population Data Science Research at Swansea University and Head of SAIL User and Data Support Services, Professor Ashley Akbari, said, “By providing the Trusted Research Environment and expertise in data acquisition and linkage, SAIL Databank will enable a comprehensive picture of how open access mental health services are being implemented and the difference they make for people across Wales. One of SAIL’s greatest strengths is our ability to securely bring together anonymised health and administrative data at a national scale, enabling robust longitudinal analysis that would not otherwise be possible. Working alongside our partners across the NHS, academia and the third sector, we’re able to support this first-of-a-kind evaluation that will inform future mental health policy and improve outcomes for communities throughout Wales.”
The Open Access Mental Health Support programme evaluation is being led by NHS Wales Performance and Improvement, working in partnership with The Centre for Trials Research at Cardiff University, Swansea University, the University of Northumbria at Newcastle, Public Health Wales, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board and ProMo-Cymru.
This grant will support Wales to become the first country in the world to test an open-access mental health system, giving people same-day support and greater choice in care, with the potential to transform mental health outcomes.
People with lived experience will play a central role throughout the research via patient panels and stakeholder groups, shaping the study and ensuring the work reflects the needs of communities across Wales.
Ciara Rogers, National Director of Mental Health, Learning Disability and Neurodiversity for NHS Wales Performance and Improvement said: “While 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.
“This 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.”
Dr Rachel McNamara, Director of the Brain Health and Mental Wellbeing Division, CTR and co-Chief Investigator for the evaluation said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with colleagues across the NHS, academia, the third sector and Experts by Lived Experience to evaluate implementation of open access mental health services in Wales, in line with our mission to promote evidence-informed interventions for mental health and wellbeing across the lifespan.
Tony Cope, Expert by Lived Experience and co-Chair of the Mental Health Research and Evidence Network, added: “The 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.
“I 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.”
The evaluation supports delivery of the Welsh Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2025 – 2035, which includes a commitment to improving access to open access mental health support.
Based at Swansea University, SAIL Databank is powered by the Secure eResearch Platform (SeRP), and is funded by Welsh Government through Health and Care Research Wales and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) through Administrative Data Research (ADR) Wales.
