Co-production is an approach to collaborative working that has become increasingly popular within mental health services. In this model, people with lived experience of mental health difficulties, often referred to as ‘Lived Experience Practitioners’ (LXPs), work alongside mental healthcare professionals as equals. Despite its growing use, there is limited understanding of how co-produced working is experienced in practice. This thesis aimed to explore experiences of working within co-produced NHS mental health services from both professional and lived experience perspectives.

Part one of this portfolio presents an empirical study exploring mental healthcare professionals’ experiences of working in co-produced services, using framework analysis informed by the Bases of Social Power framework to examine how power dynamics shaped their experiences. Findings suggested that although co-production was experienced as meaningful, collaborative, and aligned with clinicians’ values, it was also highly emotive, relationally complex, and shaped by ongoing tensions between equality and responsibility.

Part two presents an empirical study exploring LXPs’ experiences of working in co-produced services, using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings indicated that while LXP roles were experienced as meaningful and closely linked to personal recovery, they were also emotionally demanding and difficult to sustain within existing organisational systems. Participants described ongoing challenges in establishing legitimacy, navigating role ambiguity, and working within structures that were not fully designed to support co-produced roles.

Together, the findings highlight the complexity of co-produced working within mental health services. While co-production offers meaningful opportunities for collaboration and recovery-oriented practice, both mental healthcare professionals and LXPs described shared challenges related to emotional labour, role clarity, and organisational support. This suggests that, in many services, organisational systems, policies and processes are not yet fully developed to support co-produced ways of working, which impacts both professionals and LXPs. Addressing these gaps will support the long-term sustainability of this way of working.