About the Speaker

Prof. Martin Knapp

London School of Economics, UK

Martin Knapp is Professor of Health and Social Care Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), based in the Department of Health Policy. He is also Professorial Research Fellow in the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre at LSE. Martin’s main research interests are in the areas of social care, child and adult mental health, dementia and autism. Much of his work uses economic arguments and evidence to inform policy discussion and practice development. He collaborates regularly with community organisations, service providers and public sector commissioners.  

Since 2023, Martin has been Programme Director for the Research Programme for Social Care, part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in England. For 15 years, he was also Director of the NIHR School for Social Care Research. Martin was appointed Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2022 for services to social care research. 

SPEECH TITLE

Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of a Collaborative Stepped-care Model for Late-life Mental Health – JC JoyAge

Abstract

JC JoyAge has developed a successful evidence-based collaborative stepped-care preventative intervention in the community for older adults with depressive symptoms. From 2016 to 2023, we trained 5914 Ambassadors and 865 Peer Supporters, who have conducted over 290,000 sessions to render emotional support for older adults. 208 social workers have undergone intensive training and supervision in tackling elderly mental health using JC JoyAge interventions, and over 5,300 welfare professionals have participated in 68 professional training workshops organised by HKU. Aside from reaching over 100,000 older adults, JC JoyAge has benefitted near 8,500 symptomatic older adults, with 94% showing symptom improvements. Our data show that JC JoyAge is cost-effective in improving depression-free days and quality-adjusted life years. Since 2022, the JC JoyAge model has been expanded to all 18 districts of Hong Kong. JC JoyAge services will continue to be implemented across the whole territory in the Project’s new phase through 51 service units, including District Elderly Community Centre, the Integrated Community Centre for Mental Wellness, and District Health Centres. In this presentation, we will discuss the implications of JC JoyAge, as well as cost-effectiveness analysis, in building a primary mental healthcare system in Hong Kong and beyond.

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