Following an afternoon interviewing potential new mental health nursing students, today it’s all about research and development. I’m off to Cardiff and Vale University Health Board’s annual mental health R&D meet-up, which on this occasion is titled ‘Updates, Opportunities and Overcoming Challenges’. The agenda is pretty packed, and includes (in the morning) an overview of, and progress report on, the National Centre for Mental Health. There’s also a session scheduled on research funding schemes managed by the National Institute for Social Care and Health Research (NISCHR). NISCHR is supported by the Welsh Government, and develops policy and priorities for health and social care research. It also directly supports research activity through its registered research groups and via its various competitive funding schemes.

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• Mental health
• Research