19 March 2026
A look at how visits to mental health inpatient wards can be improved for families
A major new research study is underway in Sussex and Surrey to understand how children, families and staff experience visits to adult mental health inpatient wards — and to identify how these visits can be improved.
The study, called POPI (Provision for Parents on Psychiatric Inpatient Units) is being delivered by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) and Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme.
It is being led by Dr Abby Dunn, part of a University of Sussex research group focused on parental and children’s mental health and reducing the intergenerational transmission of mental illness.
The project aims to improve facilities, guidance and support for family visits when a parent is receiving inpatient mental health treatment. By working directly with parents, children and healthcare professionals, the team will develop a 'family visit pack' — a set of practical, cost‑effective resources designed to ensure that when a parent is in hospital, they can see their child in a welcoming, supportive environment.
The POPI study was inspired by the experience of a team member whose children found visiting their mother in hospital deeply upsetting. Their experience reflects Dr Dunn’s previous research, which found that many visiting spaces are unwelcome and uncomfortable and can potentially lead to children not visiting their parents.
“When a parent is in hospital, it affects the whole family,” Dr Dunn said. “We want to understand what these visits are really like for children, parents, carers and staff, and how the environment can better support connection and comfort.”
Why this research matters
Around one quarter of the 16,500 adults who receive inpatient mental health treatment each year are parents. On average, they are separated from their children for seven weeks, often following a period in which the unwell parent may already have struggled to care for their child. This separation can be distressing for both parent and child, affecting their relationship, the child’s emotions and behaviour, and the parent’s recovery.
Families and healthcare professionals consistently report that poor visiting facilities make these challenges even harder. Many family rooms are unwelcoming, information for families is limited, and procedures for staff are unclear. Research shows that environments which give people a sense of control can reduce stress — something especially important when separation from family may intensify a parent’s mental health symptoms.
The study will recruit four groups to take part in online interviews:
- Children and young people who have visited a parent in a mental health hospital
- Parents who have had their child visit them during an inpatient stay
- Carers of children or young people who have visited a parent in hospital
- Healthcare professionals who have worked on adult inpatient units
The team is particularly keen to hear from children and young people to ensure that future visiting provision reflects their needs and experiences.
The project will be delivered in two parts:
1: Parents with experience of inpatient treatment, children, carers and healthcare professionals will take part in interviews (52 participants) and online questionnaires (100 participants). Their insights will shape the development of the family visit pack.
2: Using a co‑production approach, the team will work with parents, young people and healthcare professionals to create:
- a family visit ward checklist for staff
- improved family room designs and signage
- information materials for families
These materials will be tested on a ward for two months and refined based on feedback. The team will then seek funding for a larger NHS trial to evaluate the pack’s impact.
Patient and Public Involvement
A lived experience advisory panel will meet every three months to guide the study. Lived experience researchers will help collect and analyse data in part 1, and co‑production in part 2, ensures that the people most likely to benefit from the project are central to its design.
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