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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

Improving access to NHS Talking Therapies services through co-production of referral pathways for Hindu and Sikh communities: a qualitative study

Improving access to nhs talking therapies services through co-production of referral pathways for hindu and sikh communities: a qualitative study

Collaboration between religious leaders and mental health services is seen as a feasible way to develop culturally sensitive referral pathways for Hindu and Sikh communities.

The study aimed to contribute to the development of culturally sensitive referral pathways and improved access to NHS Talking Therapies services by exploring opportunities for collaboration between Hindu and Sikh communities and mental health services in the United Kingdom. These communities face cultural, systemic and structural barriers when accessing services, and religious leaders are often the first point of contact, yet their role remains insufficiently explored within formal mental health care pathways. Using a qualitative design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 participants from Hindu and Sikh backgrounds (12 religious leaders and 11 service users). The data were analysed using thematic analysis, after which referral pathway development began through co-production workshops involving community members, mental health professionals and faith leaders. Four main themes were identified, each with multiple subthemes. Workshop discussions proposed the following: religious organisations serving as key entry points and trusted community volunteers being trained as mental health advocates; joint training and mutual learning, alongside shared awareness campaigns and events; continuity of culturally sensitive care within integrated systems; and the provision of faith-sensitive, culturally adapted and accessible resources. The authors state that this is the first study in the United Kingdom to explore the development of a collaborative, culturally sensitive referral pathway bringing together Hindu and Sikh service users, faith leaders and mental health services. They conclude that strengthening partnerships between faith communities and healthcare providers could support more inclusive, equitable and trust-based access to mental health care.

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