In this blog series we will be featuring our award winners and highly commended recipients from the Faculty’s ‘Outstanding Contribution to PPIE’ awards. Showcasing the inspirational and outstanding commitment to PPIE that has made a positive difference to our community and highlighting the amazing events, activities, people and groups from across the Faculty.  

Our next blog in this series will feature STAND Indonesia, a collaborative research project that worked with people with lived experience to co-adapt and co-deliver a low-intensity psychological intervention training programme for primary care workforces in Indonesia. The project were winners in the Group category at the 2024 awards. 

Mental health challenges are a leading cause of disease burden globally, with 14 million people affected by anxiety and depression in Indonesia. As part of a NIHR Global Health Group, aiming to address the lack of resources and stigma around mental health in low- and middle-income countries, STAND Indonesia brought together academics and researchers from the UK and Indonesia, local health system collaborators and community engagement and involvement (CEI) and lived experience (LEAG) advisory groups to increase interventions for anxiety and depression.  

The project, which stemmed from a prioritisation exercise held during a public mental health festival, organised by the group and attended by over 700 participants, encompasses a pioneering approach to CEI in health research, a relatively unfamiliar concept in Indonesia. The team worked with underserved populations across 12 localities throughout multiple stages of the project. CEI representatives were actively involved as co-applicants, co-researchers, and advisory panel members, whilst the LEAG, consisting of 11 individuals with diverse experiences, were instrumental in identifying intervention priorities and co-creating materials for the training programs. Their insights and experiences were vital in shaping an intervention that resonates culturally and meets the needs of the local population. 

A comprehensive research methods course and handbook, developed by the team to provide patient and public contributors the skills and knowledge necessary for meaningful participation in health research, was translated into the local language and delivered to the LEAG members at the start of the study. After identifying intervention priorities, the team worked with LEAG members and those with lived experience of anxiety and depression to vote on priorities for co-adaption.  

A particularly impactful aspect of the project was the co-facilitation of a four-day train-the-trainers course, attended by 52 lay and professional workers. The course aimed to increase understanding of anxiety and depression in a culturally sensitive context, ensuring empathy and empowerment were at the heart of delivery. This cascade training model is now extending the reach of the intervention, with these 52 individuals training an additional 150 community health workers across Indonesia. 

The project’s legacy includes the co-production of an intervention manual, supporting high-quality service delivery, sustainable workforce capacity building and treatment resources for the treatment of anxiety and depression. LEAG members described their involvement in the writing of patient stories as particularly healing and impactful in their own recovery.  

The team is already looking at how to scale up this intervention on a national level, with a health economic evaluation guiding the prioritization of regions for roll-out. Additionally, published papers from this work will not only contribute to mental health advocacy but also elevate the profile of PPIE in Indonesia. 

Find out more: 

• Evaluating the acceptability of a co-produced and co-delivered mental health public engagement festival: Mental Health Matters, Jakarta, Indonesia 

• Adapting interventions to new contexts—the ADAPT guidance 

• Follow STAND Indonesia on X (formerly twitter) – @GlobalHealth_ID 

To find out more about PPIE: watch our short film, sign up to the monthly Public Engagement Digest, visit the PPIE blog, or contact srbmh@manchester.ac.uk.     

To read more about other PPIE Award winners visit here.  

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