HSE Dublin and North East encourages eligible people to share their experience of inpatient mental health care

HSE Dublin and North East is encouraging people who have recently been discharged from an adult inpatient mental health unit or hospital to take part in Ireland’s first National Mental Health Experience Survey.

The nationwide survey is open to eligible people who were discharged from participating adult acute approved centres including Cavan General Hospital and Drogheda Department of Psychiatry, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital between April and July 2026. Invitations have been issued by post, with participants able to complete the survey online using the QR code provided or return it by Freepost.

The survey is a joint initiative of the Department of Health, the Mental Health Commission and the HSE, facilitated through the National Care Experience Programme. It aims to understand what is working well in inpatient mental health care and where further improvements are needed.

People are asked about all stages of their care, including admission, care and treatment, interactions with staff, discharge and follow-up care. All participation is voluntary, confidential and anonymous.

HSE Dublin and North East is asking everyone who receives an invitation to consider taking part. Each response will help services better understand the experiences of people using inpatient mental health services and inform improvements nationally, regionally and locally.

Dervila Eyres (IHA Manager Cavan Monaghan), HSE Dublin and North East, said:

“We know that people’s experiences of care can offer important insight into how services can continue to improve. If you have received an invitation to this survey, we would strongly encourage you to take a few minutes to complete it.

“Your feedback, whether positive or identifying where things could be better, will help ensure that the voices of people who use mental health services in their region are heard and reflected in future improvement work.”

Speaking when the survey launched, Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler TD said: “Including, valuing, and learning from the voice of lived and living experience are core principles supporting our work to improve mental health services.

“The National Mental Health Experience Survey empowers people who use services to provide valuable insights and perspectives of their own experience of inpatient mental health care.

“Acting on the feedback of people with lived and living experience is crucial to the delivery of better services, and I would encourage everyone eligible to participate in the National Mental Health Experience Survey.”

John Farrelly, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Commission, said:

“The National Mental Health Experience Survey marks a significant step forward in ensuring that the voices of people who use our mental health services are heard and acted upon. Gathering the views and insights of patients and service users is essential to understanding what is working well and where improvements are needed.

“Listening to lived experience is central to how we regulate and support services. The findings from this survey will provide important evidence to help identify good practice, highlight areas for improvement, and support services to maintain high standards and deliver safe, person-centred care across the country.”

HSE Chief Executive Officer Anne O’Connor said:

“The survey will allow people to share with us how they have experienced their care and treatment in adult inpatient mental health services. This is the first survey of its kind, and I strongly encourage those who are invited to participate to take part.

“We will listen and learn from individual lived experiences and use the information to bring about effective and sustainable improvements. The active participation of service users in all aspects of mental health service improvement is an integral part of our national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision, and is a key focus of the HSE’s Office of Mental Health Engagement and Recovery.”

The survey includes 66 questions and is being undertaken across 35 adult acute approved centres nationally. Responses will be anonymised and analysed as part of a national report, due to be published in 2027 on yourexperience.ie