Peer Support in Mental Health webinar: Evidence, Experiences & Insights

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Welcome to the Mental Health Policy Research Unit webinar on peer support in mental health care in England, which took place on Zoom on Monday 20th January 2025.

This webinar focused on the evolving role of peer support in mental health services across England, and drew on new research from by the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Mental Health (MHPRU) at UCL and Kings College London. It included the latest findings on mental health peer support using one of the largest umbrella reviews of peer support to date and from a nationwide qualitative study of the experiences of paid peer support workers across the mental health sector in England.
Peer support worker roles, in which workers draw on their own lived experience to provide support for others, are diversifying and multiplying across the statutory and the third sector in the UK. However, there is not yet a consensus on the best ways of ensuring that they can make effective and independent use of their own lived experience and are well-supported in satisfying and sustainable roles. Such an understanding is crucial for the further development of peer support.

Peer support workers and recipients, researchers in relevant fields service commissioners, and mental health professionals will gain valuable takeaways by watching this video:
- Practical Insights: we describe how peer support roles are implemented in practice, what dynamics arise in the NHS and elsewhere in integration in teams and the essential support structures that help peer support
- How to Strike the Right Balance: we discuss the balance between professional and experiential expertise and between independence and integration, highlighting effective practices and key gaps in current support models.
- What is Helping or Hindering: we explore the findings from current literature on the help and hindrances faced by peer support workers, and the unique contributions they bring to recovery-focused services.
- Directions for Commissioning Services: we describe the evidence that is available to shape commissioning and service delivery and making suggestions about how to shape commissioning priorities to create sustainable, impactful peer support services.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome (PROF SONIA JOHNSON)
00:14 Overview of Peer Support in Mental Health
01:33 Housekeeping and Audience Engagement
02:50 Introduction of Co-Chair and Lived Experience Researchers (DR ANDREW GRUNDY)
05:42 Peer support umbrella review presentation (RUTH COOPER AND KAREN MACHIN)
06:48 Research Methodology and Findings
11:10 Involvement of Lived Experience Researchers
12:50 Effectiveness of Peer Support
15:10 Implementation of Peer Support
18:26 Experiences of Peer Support Workers
21:36 Organisational Challenges and Impact
22:51 Implications for Practice, Policy, and Research
24:04 Q&A Session
27:01 Introduction of Next Speakers
27:45 Peer support implementation barriers and facilitators presentation (DR UNA FOYE AND LIZZIE MITCHELL)
41:14 Structural Factors in Peer Support
42:39 Personal Reflections on Peer Support
44:14 Differences Between NHS and Voluntary Sector
46:10 Peer Support Ways of Working Presentation (NATASHA LYONS AND JANET S)
47:40 Understanding Peer Support Roles
53:27 Research Findings on Peer Support
58:32 Implications and Future Research
01:01:12 Q&A Session
01:07:17 Reflection on contributions presented and final thoughts (ANDY BELL)
01:17:36 Implementation Study of Peer Support (PROF STEVE GILLARD)
01:21:18 Evaluating Peer Support Implementation
01:22:06 Analysing Engagement and Fidelity
01:23:28 Comparative Case Study Design
01:25:29 Insights from High and Low Fidelity Sites
01:28:54 Challenges in Low Fidelity Sites
01:30:34 Outlier Site Analysis
01:31:27 Implications for Peer Support in Mental Health Services
01:35:23 iPOF research presentation (PROF FIONA LOBBAN)
01:36:14 Introduction to the IPOF Study
01:41:20 Design and Methodology of the IPOF Study
01:44:12 Positive and Negative Impacts of Online Forums
01:48:48 Moderator Roles and Best Practices
01:51:22 Conclusions and Future Directions
01:54:26 PANEL DISCUSSION n on Peer Support Priorities (Andrew Grundy, Hannah Lewis, Mark Holden, Raza Griffiths)
02:09:38 Final Remarks and goodbye

Visit the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Mental Health (MHPRU) website