The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the
Arts (Nesta) has partnered with the Mental Health Foundation (MHF)
and other key mental health organisations to launch a£500,000 initiativeto
improve patient care using new technology.
Nesta is calling for innovative project proposals from
front-line workers, carers and people with direct experience of
mental distress to tackle some of the key challenges surrounding
mental health in the UK.
Through the
Innovations in Mental Health call for
proposals, Nesta will look to fund and develop local projects
from individuals or teams with experience in mental health
(including user and carer groups).
The organisation will be looking for projects which, with the
right support and guidance, will have the potential to grow into
national projects with real impact.
Project ideas can address any aspect of mental health, across
all life stages and in any setting. Projects are likely to range
from ways to break down the stigma of mental illness to encouraging
the involvement of users in re-designing their own care.
They may focus on new and improved processes and services, but
could also take the shape of new products or technologies. Nesta is
particularly interested in ideas that involve collaboration between
different disciplines or different areas of mental health
practice.
Nesta chief executive Jonathan Kestenbaum said, “The rising cost
to the economy of mental health problems alone is enough to support
the need for us to find new ways of addressing this issue.
“We need to empower people at the grass roots to come forward
and work together to develop more innovative, user-focused
solutions.”
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