Do you or your team have a great idea for a digital tool that could help improve mental health care for children and young people - particularly those experiencing  anxiety, depression or psychosis? We need your innovative ideas to help shape our submission for The Wellcome Mental Health Data Prize UK. If your idea is shortlisted, you could become part of the proposal writing team and play a key role in the build phase.

 

Why are staff being asked to get involved?

Mersey Care is preparing a bid for The Wellcome Mental Health Data Prize UK. While we have strong bid‑writing expertise and an excellent data and digital innovation infrastructure through the Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M‑RIC), the most meaningful and impactful ideas come from the people who work within our services and communities. Your ideas could help us design and implement a new digital tool that improves mental health care and support for children and young people. This is a new process that has been put in place by Mersey Care’s Innovation Team.

 

How can I submit my idea?

Your proposal should be on more than 500 words and outline:  

  • A clear idea for a digital tool that will help improve mental health care for children and young people (focusing on anxiety, depression, or psychosis).
  • Information you would draw on from within Mersey Care. For example data we already hold in Mersey Care systems or insights from M-RIC and how this could help clinicians make better decisions or improve care pathways.
  • The difference it would make in key measurable outcomes for patients, staff, and services, and why it’s practical to build a first version in nine months.

Please ensure you have your line manager’s permission as if successful we would like you to be involved as a key member of the proposal writing team and we would like to work with you and your team in the build phase.  Please note that all activities will also be subject to organisational governance and approvals.

Please email your completed proposal to mhresearch@merseycare.nhs.uk
by 5pm on Friday 9 January. Please add in the title Wellcome Mental Health Data Prize UK proposal in the email title. 

What happens next?

We will shortlist some of the best ideas. If you or your team is successfully shortlisted, you will be asked to pitch your idea to a panel coordinated by M-RIC. This will include service user and carer representatives and partner organisations. This will help ensure ideas are assessed collaboratively and reflect the needs of the people we serve. Panel interviews are expected to take place at the end of January 2026.

Good luck!