The 2024 edition of Design in Mental Health takes place in June, and the event’s move to the Manchester Central convention complex promises a better experience than ever before for the many hundreds of professionals and practitioners due to attend.

The relocation of the two-day conference, exhibition and awards to a bigger venue in a more cosmopolitan location means attendees can look forward to a range of enhancements. These include more content, new themes, more exhibitors, and a more diverse audience, with many international delegates due to add their knowledge and experience to the event.

The event is co-organised by Design in Mental Health Network (DiMHN), a charity which aims to improve mental health outcomes by spreading the practice of good design, co-produced with lived experience. The Conference at Design in Mental Health is curated by a cross-disciplinary group of experts from DiMHN and for 2024 they have designed a programme around six key themes, including “Custodial and Operational Learning”, which is a new focus for the event.

The Custodial content is headlined by a Keynote on 5 June from David Gardner, Director at Holmes Miller Architects, entitled “HMP Stirling: Therapeutic- and Trauma-Informed Approaches to Custodial Design.” On the same day, attendees can hear two further presentations on mental healthcare in custodial settings. Laura Woods of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s Forensic Healthcare Services team will give a talk entitled “Delivering Mental Healthcare in the Prison Estate – Where Are We and Where Are We Going?”, which will lay out the challenges of delivering clinically safe healthcare in the prison estate, and how future policies can improve prisoner access to healthcare. That will be followed by a talk from HM Prison and Probation Services’ Senior Manager – Mental Health Lead, James Adamson, and Kate Netten, an Evidence Specialist from HMPPS’ Evidence Based Practice Team, who will  introduce attendees to the innovative and successful National Prison Radio campaign ‘Sorry to Interrupt your Day’.

Other highlights of a packed two-day conference programme include Keynotes from Andy Bell, (Centre for Mental Health), Dr Jacqueline Dyer MBE, (NHS England’s Advancing Mental Health Equalities Taskforce) and Dolly Sen (artist and activist), plus a range of workshops on subjects as diverse as “Redefining Assistive Equipment”.

The Exhibition at Design in Mental Health is now established as the premier showcase of products and specialist expertise for mental health spaces, with an extensive range of solutions under one roof. The 2024 edition features 60+ leading companies and organisations, including many NHS-approved framework suppliers. Visitors will find an array of furniture, door sets, window and flooring suppliers, modular building facilities, sensory equipment, staff safety alarms and security systems as well as consultancy services, architects and heating and washroom solutions.

As with previous editions of the event, Design in Mental Health 2024 will offer a range of attendance options to suit different budgets, diaries and requirements. Full details can be found at www.designinmnetalhealth.com/register.