Chris McAteer, Senior Peer Facilitator at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Trust, has completed his ARC North West Coast internship with a prevailing project exploring how peer support workers are integrated into early intervention psychosis services.

Titled Bridging the Gap: Towards a theory of peer support worker integration within early intervention psychosis services, Chris’s research addresses a key NHS priority, enhancing mental health care and embedding lived experience roles into clinical teams.

“There’s a real push to improve support for people experiencing mental health problems early on, and also to include more peer support workers—people like me who have lived experience in those teams,” Chris explained. “My research helps with both of these goals.”

Chris’s work highlights how peer support can make services more person-centred and accessible especially for people who struggle to engage with traditional care models. “Peer roles can be a bridge for people who don’t always feel heard in mental health services,” Chris explained.

The project has already begun to influence thinking within the Trust. “It’s started conversations with team leaders and managers about how we use and support peers better. We’ve talked about induction, supervision, and how to evaluate impact,” Chris noted. “ During implementation it’s hoped that we will improve better onboarding and communication could definitely improve efficiency and keep more people engaged in support.”

A key output of the research is a logic model that Chris hopes will help guide future dissemination and implementation efforts. “We’re not just stopping at publication,” he said. “We want to develop an implementation toolkit that other Trusts could use too. As my supervisor Scott Lamont put it—the work doesn’t stop when you publish, it’s where the next phase begins.”

“Chris brought not only dedication and insight to his project, but also a genuine passion for improving mental health services through lived experience. His work has real potential to shape how peer support roles are developed and supported—not just locally, but nationally. The internship might be over, but the work will continue.”
Scott Lamont

Just like ARC NWC’s mission Chris believes that a co-produced approach was central to the research. “Before starting, I shared the idea with a service user reference group. Their feedback shaped the design, and their voices are a big part of the interviews and findings,” he said.

The project also has potential to upskill teams and influence national practice. “The logic model could become a training tool. And if we go ahead with the implementation toolkit, it’ll help services understand what good practice looks like when introducing peer support workers,” Chris added.

Reflecting on his ARC journey, Chris was full of praise for the support he received. “The ARC internship has been a brilliant opportunity to step into research. I’ve been supported amazingly well, and the lectures were great, even for someone without an academic background. I was even supported to develop and present a poster.”

With publication underway and practical tools in development, Chris’s work is already creating ripples beyond his local area. “Teams, managers, peers and most importantly, service users could all benefit from this research,” he said. “This is about helping services get the most out of peer support roles, not just in Lancashire and South Cumbria, but across the country.”

For more on ARC NWC internships and opportunities to get involved in research that makes a difference, visit our dedicated internship page.