OPINION
John Farrelly, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Commission
EVERY day, people across Dublin access inpatient mental health services. From when a person is admitted until their discharge, different moments shape a person’s experience of care.
While clinical outcomes remain critically important, understanding how people experience care is also valuable in helping services identify what they are doing well and where improvements can be made.
People who use our mental health services are often among the most vulnerable members of our society.
In 2024, there were almost 3,000 discharges from inpatient mental health services across Dublin, which include St Aloysius Ward in the Mater Hospital, the Ashlin Centre in Beaumont Hospital, and Elm Mount Unit in St Vincent’s University Hospital.
Many people accessing these services are experiencing acute mental illness, significant distress or periods when they are heavily reliant on others for their care, treatment and protection.
We never know when we or someone we care for might need to access these services, and knowing that they are safe, compassionate, rights-based and consistently delivered to the highest standard is so important.
As part of our role as the State’s independent regulator for mental health services, the Mental Health Commission (MHC) exists to protect the rights and interests of people using these services.
We set standards for high-quality care, and promote, encourage and foster the continuous improvement of services through independent regulation, inspections, and the development of evidence-based standards, rules, codes of practice and guidance that support good practice across the sector.
In short, we exist to protect the rights and interests of people using mental health services.
That is also why the National Mental Health Experience Survey is such an important milestone.
For the first time, people who received inpatient mental health care across Ireland are being invited to share their experiences through a national survey.
Facilitated by the National Care Experience Programme (NCEP) on behalf of the MHC, the Department of Health and the HSE, the survey provides an opportunity to hear directly from people about every stage of their inpatient journey, from admission and treatment through to discharge and follow-up care.
The survey takes a holistic view of inpatient mental health care, from the environment and the facilities provided to the processes, protocols and interactions.
It’s the first opportunity of its kind to receive feedback directly from patients on each of these aspects of care, which is a critical step towards making these elements truly patient-informed.
The survey is about listening and learning.
It’s about taking the temperature of inpatient mental health services for the first time, identifying what patients feel works well and
where improvements can be made.
By combining the experience of service users with other measures of quality and safety, services gain a more complete understanding of how the care they provide is received and where meaningful improvements can be made.
For staff working in inpatient mental health services, the survey represents an opportunity to hear and learn directly from the people they care for, empowering people using services to have their say in their care.
It provides valuable evidence that can help identify examples of good practice, celebrate compassionate care, and highlight opportunities to improve services over time.
The National Mental Health Experience Survey has been designed specifically for people recently discharged from these services.
The responses are all anonymised before analysis, allowing people to share honest feedback with confidence.
There are 65 questions, mostly multiple choice, prompting respondents to reflect on all aspects of the inpatient mental health care journey.
The survey has been posted out to eligible participants, can be completed online or returned via Freepost, and should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Every response contributes to a richer understanding of people’s experiences and helps build the evidence needed to improve services for future patients.
If you or someone you know has received an invitation, please consider taking the time to complete the survey.
Your answers can really make a difference.