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PurposeThere are intense current debates about the place of belief systems in a secular society, and also whether the mechanistic approach to mental health care is sufficient for human beings. This paper aims to describe the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation NHS Trust (BSMHFT) spirituality and mental health research programme within that context.Design/methodology/approachThe research studies are placed within a discourse of current debates, but also within the specific context of the city of Birmingham. Birmingham is England's second city to London, and is an increasingly multi‐ethnic and multi‐cultural environment.FindingsThose who use mental health services increasingly state that they wish to have the spiritual dimension of their lives attended to by professionals. The BSMHFT project reinforces this message and demonstrates the merits of close working with faith communities and engaging with staff in their understanding of spirituality.Originality/valueThe research by Professor Koenig et al. in the USA has demonstrated the physical and mental health benefits of belonging to a supportive faith community. The BSMHFT project is a rare UK example of research in this area and comes at a time of intense debate in England over the nature of society.

People go into employment for a range of reasons. One of those is usually to find a sense of meaning, as humans are meaning‐seeking animals.In the public sector there is even more likelihood of some kind of ‘calling’. This may not be a religious call, or even an overtly spiritual one, but there will usually be some sense in which the role and the individual reach out to one another.In a time of recession and strain on public finances and services, leaders need to work in a way that appeals to the spirit, the vocation in each person and the team.

With Great Britain being seen as a largely secular society, it would be easy to discount the influence of religious belief and faith communities in society in general, and mental health in particular. But most rural communities still have a parish church, which provides a focal point for a range of activities, not necessarily religious; and in the big cities, especially where there are a range of ethnic groups and cultures, places of worship provide prominent landmarks. In the field of mental health, many service-users say that their spiritual beliefs (religious or otherwise) form an important part of their essential life-force and is a key to their recovery. Where there are prominent faith communities, it is vital that mental health services pay due attention to working productively with them towards a mutual understanding and partnership.

Aims and methodTo develop a self-report questionnaire to measure mental health recovery from the service user viewpoint. Literature searches and scoping exercises indicated that psychological, social and spiritual issues should be included. The resultant provisional scale was completed by 107 service users.ResultsThe provisional scale was shortened as a result of factor analysis. The finalised version was highly reliable (Cronbach's alpha 0.911) and valid, correlating significantly with an already established recovery scale. It contained nine recognisable subscales, the first two describing existential and religious well-being. Separate well-being and ill-being factors were also identified.Clinical implicationsAn inclusive tool for service users' assessment of their own recovery, the Service User Recovery Evaluation (SeRvE) scale, has been validated. This can be used both as a research tool and clinically to monitor interventions. The importance of spiritual care for service users is highlighted.

Mental health professionals enter the service with a desire to work to provide better outcomes for service users and carers. However sometimes the system gets in the way and produces unintended consequences. Recently service users have requested that the spiritual dimension of their lives be given greater attention, and this fits strongly with the recovery approach and its accent on service users being able to take control of their own lives. Research undertaken at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust has found that staff across all professional groups have recognised the importance of spirituality and spiritual care and wish to receive greater guidance and education in how to respond to services user needs.