In St Patrick’s Mental Health Services (SPMHS), we are committed to involving service users in a meaningful way in the planning, delivery, and development of our services. We value service user engagement and have developed many ways to ensure that the views of our service users and those who support them are acted on in significant ways.
Service user engagement is important in helping us to constantly develop our services. We believe that our service users and those who support them are experts by experience, and that their perspectives are invaluable in helping us to provide the best standard of care possible to all our service users. To achieve this, we have a range of processes in place to ensure that service users can engage or provide feedback.
Below, you’ll find monthly updates from three of our service user engagement groups, our Service User and Supporters Council (SUAS), Service User Advisory Network (SUAN) and Family, Carers and Supporters (FCS) Advisory Network.
If you have any questions about service user participation or would like to get involved, please email our Service User Engagement Lead, Siobhan Fitzharris, at sfitzharris@stpatricks.ie.
SUAS updates
SUAS is a forum established here in SPMHS to facilitate extensive service user participation, which directly informs how we as an organisation develop our services. SUAS meets remotely on the first Wednesday of each month. This is a summary of SUAS meetings in 2023.
January
Paul Gilligan, our Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and Tamara Nolan, our Director of Communications and Advocacy, attended the meeting to update members on the next five-year organisational strategy.
A SUAS proposal to introduce peer support workers into SPMHS was reviewed by the Senior Management Team (SMT).
February
The SUAS Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place, during which the Terms of Reference for the council were reviewed, updated, and agreed. The incumbent Chair was re-elected for a third and final term.
SUAS also outlined its goals and objectives for 2023 which are to:
- Drive the proposal to introduce peer support workers in SPMHS
- Continue to develop user-friendly version of the Change of Treating Team policy
- Increase visibility of actions taken by SPMHS as a result of feedback provided by service users
- Establish collaborations and relationships with other service user councils in Ireland, the United Kingdom (UK), and Europe
- Establishing a physical presence from SUAS monthly in the Information Centre in St Patrick’s University Hospital (SPUH)
- Extend an invitation to Mary Butler TD, Minister for Mental Health, to attend a SUAS meeting
During the SUAS meeting, Gary Kiernan, Chair of SUAS, and Paul Gilligan discussed inpatient catering. Both agreed more action was needed to address the decline in positive feedback received from service users.
The SUAS proposal to introduce peer support workers was reviewed by the Clinical Governance Committee (CGC).
Members of SUAS met with researchers who are completing an independent evaluation of our service user engagement structures.
March
SUAS reviewed the list of possible organisations that SUAS may be interested in contacting to find out more about their service user councils or structures, with a view to establishing links.
April
Professor Paul Fearon, our Medical Director, attended the SUAS meeting to discuss the Changing Treating Team policy and process. SUAS will update the service user guide they are working on to reflect this discussion.
A working group overseeing the development of an exciting new mental health education centre in SPUH also attended the meeting. Their attendance aimed to gather feedback from SUAS as part of the consultation process on the proposed visitor journey and experience.
CGC responded to the SUAS proposal to introduce peer support workers. The committee suggested that SUAS organises an initial working group to consider and document these issues and produce more focused, defined proposals for the committee to consider.
SUAN and FCS Advisory Network updates
SUAN provides opportunities for service users to engage in a time-limited, project-driven way. Members can take part in surveys or focus groups or join an advisory group. SUAN offers service users the opportunity to participate in ways that suit them, and to get involved in projects that are of interest to them.
The FCS Advisory Network enables us to engage and consult with people who support our service users. This ensures that the views and perspectives of our service users’ family members, carers and supporters are included as we develop and implement our organisational strategic plans.
Members of SUAN and the FCS Advisory Network receive monthly newsletters with updates and information about ways to get involved.
In 2023, these have included updates on the new organisational strategy, which they helped to inform in 2022, and invitations to:
- complete a survey from researchers conducting an independent evaluation of our service user engagement structures
- take part in the panel discussion at our Remote Care Conference: A New Era in Mental Healthcare Delivery organised by our Digital Health team
- participate in the #NoStigma in the Workplace: Mental Health and Your Rightswebinar
- attend a Consultative Forum on the topic of Your Portal: What’s Next? (consultative Forums give an opportunity to share views and opinions on the topic being presented; they are attended by representatives of the Board of Governors who update the Board on the views shared)
- join the Remote Care Users Advisory Forum (an advisory group that helps inform our Enabling Remote Care project).
Interested in taking part?
If you would like to get involved, you can follow the links below to learn more or request to join our service user engagement groups.
See more from our service users
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Service User Satisfaction Survey
