It aims to inspire hope, opportunity and a fair chance in life for people of all ages with or at risk of mental ill health.

[1] The centre acts as a bridge between the worlds of research, policy[2] and service provision and believes strongly in the importance of high-quality evidence and analysis.

The Centre for Mental Health began in March 1985 as the National Unit for Psychiatric Research and Development (NUPRD).

After 1989, it was renamed the Research and Development for Psychiatry (RDP),[9] moving into the current offices on Borough High Street.

It was at the centre of developing and helping to implement the National Service Framework for Mental Health, and in 1995, evaluated the Blackthorn Trust garden (in Maidstone, Kent) and its therapies for two years.