Mind the Gap: Improving Transitions from Child to Adult Mental Health Services to Prevent Severe Mental Illness

Lead supervisor: Associate Professor Amedeo Minichino

Co-supervisor: Dr Dominic Oliver

Commercial partner: Akrivia Health

Every year in the UK, thousands of young people reach the age of 18 and are discharged from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Around two-thirds are discharged to primary care (CAMHS-P), while one-third transition to Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS-A). These decisions are often driven by short-term clinical risk and service pressures, rather than long-term prognosis. This discontinuity creates a vulnerable period during which many young people progress to severe mental illness (SMI), including psychosis, bipolar disorder, and recurrent major depression. Nearly half of adults with SMI have had prior CAMHS contact, with a median latency of 6–7 years between initial CAMHS involvement and diagnosis. This represents a critical window for prevention that current service pathways fail to address.

This project, Mind the Gap, will harness large-scale electronic health record and linked administrative data to (i) map outcomes and costs of CAMHS discharge pathways, (ii) develop and validate clinical prediction models to identify those most at risk of SMI, and (iii) evaluate the causal impact and cost-effectiveness of alternative discharge strategies. By integrating health economics, advanced analytics, and patient/public involvement, the project will generate actionable evidence to inform service redesign, reduce crisis presentations, and improve long-term outcomes for young people.

The studentship will be jointly supervised by the University of Oxford and Akrivia Health. The collaboration provides a unique opportunity to combine cutting-edge academic expertise in epidemiology, causal inference, and mental health research with Akrivia Health’s strengths in natural language processing, secure clinical data environments, and close relationships with NHS partners. The student will gain advanced training in data science, health economics, and translational psychiatry, while also developing commercial skills in data product development, clinical engagement, and impact delivery.

For academia, this project addresses a fundamental gap in the evidence base on youth mental health transitions, with direct implications for NHS policy, prevention of severe mental illness, and reduction of health inequalities. It will also generate methodological advances in prediction modelling and causal evaluation using real-world mental health data.

For industry, the collaboration with Akrivia Health will support development of new predictive tools and analytic pipelines that can be integrated into their data platform, enhancing the company’s capacity to deliver clinically actionable insights to NHS Trusts. The project will also generate knowledge products—such as validated risk algorithms and service-level performance metrics—that can be commercialised within Akrivia’s secure analytics environment.

Overall, the studentship offers the opportunity to deliver high-impact research aligned with the MRC’s remit in mental health, prevention, and health data science, while building enduring capacity and partnerships across academic, clinical, and commercial sectors.

Apply using course: DPhil in Psychiatry