Unlocking excellence: examining effective community mental health care for people with intellectual disability.

Background

People with intellectual disability experience higher rates of mental illness compared to the general population but have difficulty seeking support and face barriers when accessing high quality community-based healthcare. Professionals can also struggle to understand the specific needs of people with Intellectual disability, leading to misdiagnoses, inappropriate care/treatment, and inadequate levels of support.

Consequently, this can result in community placement breakdowns and unnecessary inpatient admissions. Therefore, it is imperative that community-based mental healthcare for individuals with intellectual disability is grounded in the best available evidence to improve outcomes and quality of life. This approach will also contribute to shaping policies and services accordingly.

Aims and Objectives

This research aims to identify effective practices in community intellectual disability services for mental health care, reducing inpatient admissions. Objectives include understanding mental health needs, identifying gaps and exemplary practices, exploring challenges faced by professionals, understanding experiences of individuals with intellectual disability, their families/carers in accessing mental healthcare, and developing evidence-based practice recommendations.

The recommendations will be piloted in a community intellectual disability health service to enhance overall mental health care delivery. Methods and delivery

The project spans over 48 months across six phases. WP1: a scoping review of the literature. WP2: A longitudinal cohort study will analyse electronic patient records at five large mental health trusts of adults with intellectual disability accessing services for mental health issues between (2021 – 2024) prospectively from (2025-2026) to identify factors that contribute to positive or negative outcomes.

We will examine factors influencing positive or negative outcomes, including examining patterns in diagnoses, treatment effectiveness, and patient responses to interventions. WP3: We will be Surveying health and social care professionals working in community intellectual disability health/social care services to understand the challenges in meeting the mental health needs of people with intellectual disability.

WP4: We will conduct 30 semi-structured interviews to understand the lived experiences of people with intellectual disability and their families/carers in accessing specialist community-based services. WP5: Outputs from work packages will be collated using the Consolidation Framework for Implementation Research to develop evidence-based recommendations in partnership with PPIE, clinicians, commissioners, families, and carers.

WP6: A mixed method-controlled design pilot of the recommended framework of mental healthcare will be conducted in a community intellectual disability service incorporating co-produced outcomes. Anticipated impact and dissemination

We will identify effective practices of community intellectual disability services for delivering mental health care to people with intellectual disability and identify areas for improvement. Findings will be disseminated via publications, presentations at local, regional, and national meetings and conferences. To ensure regional dissemination and impact, we will collaborate with stakeholders in the local press and utilise social media for a wider reach and work closely with NHS England to influence policy and practices.