About NCCMH and our work

Founded in 2001 by Tim Kendall and Steve Pilling, the NCCMH developed 36 NICE mental health guidelines. Since 2016, the NCCMH has continued to develop evidence-based guidance, as well as evaluations, workforce competences and reviews, to support the delivery of high-quality mental health care.

In 2018, we were commissioned by NHS England to run quality improvement collaboratives as part of the Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme. We have also delivered several subscription-based QI collaboratives.

From 2024 to 2026, we partnered with Black Thrive Global, the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health, and Neurodiverse Connection to run the Culture of Care programme as part of NHS England’s quality transformation programme.

The NCCMH hosts:

• The Public Mental Health Implementation Centre (PMHIC), established by the College in 2022 to support the improved implementation of evidence-based interventions to treat and prevent mental disorders, prevent associated impacts, and promote mental wellbeing and resilience.
• The National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA) and Support after Suicide Partnership (SASP). For further information, see Leading suicide prevention alliances join RCPsych (RCPsych Press Reslease, 10 September 2025).
• The Dyfodol programme, which works in partnership with RCPsych in Wales and the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee.

We work with stakeholders, including clinicians, people with lived experience and other experts in their field, to deliver products and services including:

• clinical guidelines (developed for NICE and internationally)
• competence frameworks (skills, knowledge, values and attitudes for mental health professionals)
• quality improvement (quality improvement programmes for mental health and patient safety)
• reports and research (systematic reviews, rapid reviews, evaluations and reports)
• service design and development (mental health care pathways/frameworks and implementation guidance).

We're led by International Director Professor Tim Kendall, Clinical and Strategic Director Professor Russell Razzaque from the College, and Academic and Strategic Director Professor Steve Pilling from University College London.

The work is overseen on a day-to-day basis by:

• Tom Ayers, Director
• Emily Cannon, Head of Quality Improvement
• Dr Katherine Clarke, Head of Research
• Eva Gautam-Aitken, Senior Programme Manager
• Dr Matthew Milarski, Head of Quality Improvement
• Sal Smith, Head of Quality Improvement and Co-production
• Dr Clare Taylor, Head of Quality and Research Development
• Dr Megan Watkins, Head of PMHIC.

The rest of the team is composed of researchers, quality improvement coaches, project managers, an editor and a designer.

At the NCCMH, we care about people’s mental health and wellbeing. We believe everyone should have equal access to high-quality mental health care, with a platform to voice their needs, at home and work or in education, and in hospital and the community. To help make this happen, we work with others at a local, national and international level, supporting the improvement of mental health services and redressing mental health inequalities.

Our research team brings together experts, including people with lived experience, to review the evidence and develop guidance, reports, competence frameworks and reviews. Services, commissioners and others working in health and social care then use them to raise the standards of mental health care on a local, national and international level.

Our QI team work with mental health teams, inpatient services and across the wider community, to improve how they function and operate.

We have an NCCMH Equality Advisory Group (EAG), a standing committee of people from a diverse range of backgrounds with lived and learned experiences of mental health services in the UK. The EAG supports the NCCMH to adhere to its commitment to actively advance equality and co-production. The group meets regularly to discuss NCCMH projects from a co-production and equalities perspective.

All our work is underpinned by our commitment to co-production (working collaboratively with people, without hierarchy) and reducing inequalities in mental health care.

By being open to improvements and individual requests, the NCCMH have made the process of co-production more inclusive while being aware that more can be done.

Steph de la Haye, Expert by experience; Chair and Founder at Survivors of Depression In Transition; Service User Governor – Sheffield Health & Social Care NHS Foundation Trust

For more information about our team members, you can also visit:

• Meet NCCMH's in-house research team
• Meet the Culture of Care Delivery Team
• About the Public Mental Health Implementation Centre (PMHIC)
• About National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA)
• About Support After Suicide Partnership (SASP)

The NCCMH governance board meet quarterly to oversee the NCCMH on behalf of the College.