Research evidence and delivering race equality in mental health

Research evidence has been central to the forming and steering of the Delivering Race Equality programme in mental health in England. Evidence can be conceived of an used in many ways. Sensible fusions across evidence, values, policy and practice need to be found, an issue that has been at the heart of the DRE programme. Research evidence could not at the outset provide all of the answers for a complex and ambitious programme such as DRE. Instead the programme has taken a formative approach, continuing to learn from experience and commissioned research to seek improvement in its work to address quality improvements in care.