Implementation strategies to support and scale up mental health interventions in areas of high need across England

The Mental Health Implementation Network (MHIN) was established to bridge the gap between research and practice by supporting the implementation and evaluation of effective mental health interventions across various settings in England guided by lived experience experts. In this paper, we explore how an implementation network like MHIN can facilitate the adoption and evaluation of exemplar evidence-based mental health interventions intended for each of these populations. In addition, we highlight here how such a model can benefit practitioners, researchers, and policymakers interested in harnessing network-based approaches to accelerate the translation of evidence into practice, an urgent need in mental health which may be underestimated. We used qualitative methodologies to assess multiple sources of data including semi-structured interviews with MHIN stakeholders, a focus group with an MHIN partner site, MHIN project meeting observations and a log of support delivered by the MHIN team. Data were examined using thematic analysis informed by implementation science frameworks. Themes centred around relationships, communication and time constraints at the network level were deemed essential for successful implementation. Developing effective teams with shared goals with implementation intentions promoted collaboration with stakeholders from diverse working backgrounds. Facilitation of relationships between MHIN teams and MHIN partner sites, along with capacity building were critical to overcoming barriers to routine implementation of complex mental health interventions. The MHIN team and MHIN partner sites established relationships built on trust and transparency to catalyse and support timely implementation. However, limited funding constraining staffing and activities, as well as strict timelines for implementation research were frequently highlighted as challenges that hindered implementation. Considering the complex real-world dynamics of culture, policy, local systems, and individual needs, the strategies implemented by MHIN highlights the vital role of relational and communication strategies, providing insights into how these strategies within a network can support rapid, scalable adoption of evidence-based interventions. The MHIN workstreams, including lived experience experts supported and contributed to research and implementation activities that were relevant to contexts across diverse settings. In addition, this paper emphasises the importance of establishing a stakeholder engagement model which intentionally centralises relationships and trust to appropriately resource and support partnerships between stakeholders from varied working backgrounds and in areas of high need; this is an area with limited evidence internationally.