Meet the new consultant editor of Mental Health Practice
Emma Wadey, chief nursing officer at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, is the new consultant editor of Mental Health Practice. Her new role gives her the chance to combine a passion for research and practice with the opportunity to advocate for those receiving mental healthcare. Recent work Dr Wadey has been involved in includes a report on research demand signalling in mental healthcare and she has completed a PhD exploring grief after suicide. She believes evidence-informed care is essential to ensure we meet the needs of a growing population and ensure that reforms and policy translate into real life improvements.
Emma Wadey’s new role allows her to combine passions for research and practice with the opportunity to advocate for those receiving mental healthcare
In a time of unprecedented transformation and financial constraint in healthcare, there has never been a greater need to ensure the voices and contributions of those working in mental health settings are heard.
I am therefore delighted to be the new consultant editor of Mental Health Practice. It gives me the chance to combine my passion for research and practice with the opportunity to advocate for those receiving mental healthcare, making certain that they are listened to, and included, in the delivery of safe, effective, and evidence-based care and treatment.
My career spans three decades, blending clinical practice, strategic leadership and policy reform, underpinned by a commitment to research.
‘In the context of rising demand, diminishing resources and increasing complexity in presentations, research-based practice has never been more vital’
My first taste of research was collecting data for a study on alcohol-based presentations at emergency departments as a newly qualified nurse. Since then, I have taken all opportunities afforded me including the completion of my PhD on grief after suicide.
Reshaping the legal and ethical foundations of mental healthcare
Most recently I commissioned and led the first ever co-produced report on research demand signalling in mental health nursing. Research demand signalling in this context sets the research priorities for mental health through the lens of those who work and receive care from mental health services.
Recent mental health reforms, such as the Mental Health Bill 2025, are reshaping the legal and ethical foundations of mental healthcare in England as we continue the shift from hospital to home and further embed least restrictive options in all areas of treatment. These changes aim to reduce unnecessary detentions and will ensure person-centred and more equitable care.
In the context of rising demand, diminishing resources and increasing complexity in presentations, research-based practice has never been more vital. Evidence-informed care is essential to ensure we meet these growing population needs but also to ensure that reforms and policy translate into real life improvements.
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