In September 2023, we held our first research showcase post-Covid. The showcase gave attendees an opportunity to meet the team, learn about the work we do and how we are supporting the future of mental health research. It was officially opened by Dr Fabida Aria (medical director of the Trust) and was co-chaired by Professor Alex Copello (Associate Director for Research). Guest speakers included service user researchers, consultant psychologists, Experts by Experience and colleagues from Aston University and the University of Birmingham.
We would like to thank those who participated in the research poster competition at the event and say a massive congratulations to those in first and second place:
Winner – Charlotte Close, Hallucinations in Early Motherhood
Highly commended – Rebekka Harrison, “You’ve gotta be a man and be strong”: Fathers’ Experiences of Perinatal Loss in the Pakistani Community.
Attendees were asked to complete evaluation forms following the event and we received an overwhelming positive response to the hard work our team contributed to the day. 89.5% of respondents were very likely to attend future R&D events and 81.6% of respondents were very likely to encourage others to attend future R&D events. 84.2% of respondents found the overall conference excellent. The aim of the showcase was to be predominantly internal and inform our trust (BSMHFT) colleagues of our work. Successfully, 78.6% of attendees were from BSMHFT. However, attendees suggested some external speakers would be fascinating, this is something we will consider for future events.
Some of the most well-received agenda items were speeches from experts by experience and our Lived Experience Action Research Group (LEAR). Suggestions for topics in future events included governance support, how to get involved in research and more information about research projects within specific areas such as neurodiversity and staff experiences, amongst others. Suggested improvements from attendees included managing time-keeping and technical issues, and considering the accessibility of terminology used in presentations and formatting of slides. We thank all attendees for joining us on such a successful day and for the valuable feedback provided, which we look forward to building upon in our next event.
