Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) has launched its involvement in the Mental Health Digital Innovation (MHDI) workstream of the UK Mental Health Goals Programme (MHG).

Bringing together NHS, universities, industry and people with lived experience, the five-year national alliance aims to accelerate the development and adoption of precision psychiatry and deliver valuable new treatments that work for those who need them. Health Innovation KSS is leading work to understand how innovations can be successfully implemented and sustained within mental health services.

Understanding what helps innovation to succeed

Digital tools can widen access to care, support earlier diagnosis and give people more choice. However, many innovations struggle to move beyond pilot projects.

Challenges can include funding, governance, clinical safety, staff confidence and making sure new tools fit into existing care pathways.

Through the programme, Health Innovation KSS will work with NHS mental health trusts and partners to understand and address these barriers. The work will focus on how innovations can become part of everyday care and remain in use over time.

Sharing her thoughts on successful implementation in mental health services, Claire Hursell, Director of Digital and Performance at Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust and a member of the Mental Health Goals Delivery Group:

“It’s really about making sure that you’re set up to succeed. If you do fail, you fail forward, so it helps you move forward in the future rather than being a complete failure.”

Turning real-world learning into practical tools

The Health Innovation KSS team will follow digital innovations as NHS trusts introduce them into mental health services. This will help identify what supports implementation, what gets in the way and how challenges can be addressed.

One challenge can be ensuring staff feel confident using new technologies. Reflecting on this, Lindsay Evans, Digital Clinical Lead at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Expert by Experience Lead and a member of the Mental Health Goals Delivery Group said:

“For a clinician, using a piece of technology doesn’t have to be scary. But it still is for some people on the ground because they feel they can do it wrong.”

Working with clinicians, digital teams, system partners and people with lived experience, Health Innovation KSS will draw on learning from real-world implementation projects to develop practical tools, case studies and guidance. Published throughout the programme, these resources will help mental health services understand what supports successful adoption of digital innovation and how common barriers can be overcome.

Jenny Brooks, Translational Research Assistant at Health Innovation KSS shares how the programme will benefit mental health trusts:

“The work we are doing with mental health trusts is crucial. There is a real opportunity for trusts to learn from one another, and we are working with colleagues to turn that shared learning into practical, and adaptable resources. Ultimately, it will support mental health trusts to select the right innovations, overcome challenges during implementation and embed changes sustainably.”

Share your experience

Have you helped implement innovation in a mental health setting?

We are looking for examples of what helps mental health innovation to succeed in practice, the challenges teams have faced and the lessons they have learned along the way.

Get in touch to share your experiences and help shape practical resources for mental health services implementing digital innovation.

Email Jenny Brooks for more information

Find out more about the programme here.