Overview
The University of Hull secured £11 million from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to establish the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Research (CAMHR). This new centre will lead pioneering research into addiction and mental health, aiming to improve access to and delivery of essential services—particularly for children, young people, and underserved communities.
The Challenge
Mental health is the largest cause of disability in the UK, affecting one in four adults and one in ten children. Substance use is a major public health issue, with 340,000 people needing help for opiate/crack use and over 600,000 requiring alcohol treatment. Many individuals experience co-existing mental health and substance use conditions, yet research in this area remains underdeveloped and underfunded, accounting for less than 3% of overall mental health research in the past decade.
Partnerships
CAMHR will work in close collaboration with a number of leading institutions and healthcare providers. These include the Department of Addictions at King’s College London, part of the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience; the Institute of Mental Health Research at the University of York; and the University of Kent.
Regional partners include Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust and Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Together, these partnerships will support research and service development across a diverse population of 1.7 million people living in cities, market towns, rural villages, and coastal communities throughout Humber and North Yorkshire—many of which are among the most deprived in the UK.
Research
Led by Professor Thomas Phillips, Professor of Nursing in Addiction, and Professor Judith Cohen, Professor of Clinical Trials at Hull York Medical School, the Centre will concentrate its research efforts on three key groups. These include young people who are experiencing both substance use and mental health challenges, adults living with substance use disorders alongside mental health conditions, and individuals suffering from alcohol-related cognitive impairments.
A central strand of the centre’s work will be a clinical study to provide practical, evidence-based solutions to the complex and often overlapping issues of addiction and mental health in young people.
Patients, carers, families, and local communities will be actively involved throughout the research process. Their lived experiences will shape the direction and delivery of the programme, ensuring that the outcomes are not only academically robust but also deeply relevant and responsive to real-world needs.
Impact
By expanding research capacity in these areas, the Centre will help close critical gaps in knowledge and treatment, particularly in communities that have historically been underserved. Its work will directly contribute to improving how services are delivered and accessed, especially in regions facing significant health inequalities.
Beyond service delivery, CAMHR aims to shape national policy and influence how care is structured across the UK. Central to its approach is the inclusion of people with lived experience, ensuring that those who have faced addiction and mental health challenges are not only heard but actively involved in shaping future care. This model will help create services that are more empathetic, effective, and grounded in real-world needs.
Alison Sharpe, a member of the research team with lived experience, on the importance of this approach:
“The fact that people with lived experience will be included in all aspects of the research will result in a much-improved service that is underpinned by empathy and understanding.”
For more information or to get involved, email CAMHR@hull.ac.uk or visit www.hull.ac.uk/CAMHR.al, science-based strategies to manage the weed more effectively.
