Celebrating 20 years of meaningful service user engagement

Each year includes the Council’s Chair and a summary of achievements.

• 2005, Chair: Olivia Daly

  • The Patient and Carers Council is established and SPMHS formally appoints an administrator to support its work, signifying official recognition of the Council as part of St Patrick’s infrastructure, and a strong commitment to service user engagement.
  • Council members advocate for better inpatient experiences including more relaxation rooms.

• 2006, Chair: Olivia Daly

  • The Patient and Carers Council is renamed as the Consumer Council; reflecting a shift to emphasising choice, rights and accountability for service users as ‘consumers’ of health services.
  • Members suggest that the Council has direct engagement with the Board of Governors.

• 2007, Chair: Liam Grimes

  • The council advocates for improvement in practical issues impacting on service users including car parking costs, better range of weekend activities and for more service user integration.
  • The newly appointed CEO, Paul Gilligan, meets with the Council. From this point, service user engagement becomes recognised as a key strategic objective of St Patrick’s Mental Health Services. All future organisational strategies reinforce St Patrick's commitment to service user engagement as a core strategic priority.

• 2008, Chair: Liam Grimes

  • Mary O’Hora is appointed as Council Administrator. The Council Administrator is responsible for providing administrative support to the Council; progressing the issues, policies and decisions of the Council at organisation level and at national level. The Administrator also represents the Council in the development of organisational policies and procedures, as well as providing an information pathway between the Council and SPMHS management.
  • St Patrick’s Board of Governors ratifies the operating guidelines of the Consumer Council.
  • Proposed 'meet and greet' role for admissions to improve this experience for service users is approved following a feedback survey identifying long waiting times in admissions for incoming service users.
  • Expert by Experience Panel commenced to engage service users as ‘experts by experience’ on various programmes in line with international best practice on service user engagement.

• 2009, Chair: Liam Grimes

  • Proposal to include a nominee to the Board of Governors is approved and the first Service User Nominee to the Board is elected, attending four Board meetings per year.
  • Council members participate in the National Mental Health Services Collaborative to develop multidisciplinary working and individual care planning.
  • Council members deliver talks to student nurses about service users’ experiences.

• 2010, Chair: Maurus Hanratty

  • Journey with Dignity: A Service User Perspective is created and approved by Senior Management and the Board of Governors. The document sets out the Council’s vision for what service user-centred services look like and eventually results in the development of a Caring With Respect eLearning training module for all SPMHS staff. 

• 2011, Chair: Maurus Hanratty

  • The Mental Health Commission praises the Consumers Council for their role in shaping services and advocating for those with lived experience, with the Council receiving a special mention in Mental Health Commission inspection reports for that year.
  • SUAS representation on the Hospital Research Ethics Committee, ensuring increased representation of lived experiences and service users’ views in the development of research at SPMHS.
  • Updated Journey with Dignity: A Service User Perspective document is developed to understand what progress had been made since its introduction in 2010 and where further actions to support service users in their care and treatment are needed.

• 2012, Chair: Liam Grimes

  • The Consumer Council is involved in the development of the Wishing Well Family Room, a space advocated for by Council members.
  • The Council contributes to Amnesty International Citizens Jury that reviewed legal capacity from the service user perspective.
  • Acting on service user feedback, the Council initiates a review of inpatients’ dining experiences, resulting in a series of improvements being implemented.

• 2013, Chair: Liam Hennessy

  • Weekly ‘welcome to the hospital’ information talks are introduced to provide newly admitted service users with an overview of SPMHS’ facilities and services.
  • First eLearning programme, An Introduction to Caring with Respect, co-produced with service user and designed for staff to support them in improving the services SPMHS provides is launched. The eLearning module outlines service users’ perspectives on what a care journey with dignity looks like in practice, using three common lived experience scenarios identified by the Council to illustrate this journey.
  • SPMHS, in conjunction with the National Service User Executive, hosts a symposium for all Irish consumer panels, which is attended by 110 people.

• 2014, Chair: Liam Hennessy

  • Development of a Carers and Supporters booklet begins with consultation with service users and carers.
  • Development of Eolas Information Portal, an online library of resources for SPMHS’ service users, in conjunction with Communications Department.
  • Consultation with the newly formed St John of God panel seeking advice on setting up consumer panels.
  • Members of the Council engage with a series of public consultations on service user engagement hosted by the Health Service Executive.

• 2015, Chair: Andreas Heil

  • The Consumer Council publishes its first Carers and Supporters Guide, designed to provide family members and family of service users SPMHS with helpful information in relation to a loved one’s admission to a mental healthcare service.
  • Service users consulted on proposed plans for campus development with a member of the Consumer Council sitting on the Campus Development committee.

• 2016, Chair: Andreas Heil

  • As part of the Consumer Council’s operating guidelines, an independent evaluation of the Council commences, with the aim of ensuring an objective assessment of the effectiveness of service user engagement structures within SPMHS and to identify areas for improvement. The evaluation also demonstrated SPMHS’ commitment to transparency and accountability in how it involves people with lived experience in shaping its services.

• 2017, Chair: Stephen Burke

  • The Consumer Council formally changes its name to the Service Users and Supporters (SUAS) Council.
  • The independent evaluation of SUAS, commenced in 2016, is completed, with an action plan devised to address recommendations from the evaluation.
  • SUAS is invited to contribute to SPMHS’ consultation processes on the development of a new electronic health record; the redesign of the stpatricks.ie website and the development of the organisation’s 2018 – 2023 organisational strategy.
  • SUAS members are invited to contribute to strategic communications, awareness-raising campaigns, and advocacy efforts within St Patrick’s, marking the integration of lived experiences and the voices of service users into the organisation’s education and advocacy initiatives.

• 2018, Chair: Stephen Burke

  • The Service User Advisory Network (SUAN) launches to encourage wider service user engagement and as a possible recruitment pathway for SUAS members. SUAN members are invited to join project groups and committees within SPMHS to help advance specific organisational projects in which they have a special interest.
  • SPMHS launches and hosts its first annual Recovery Festival, a wellness-themed event held in St Patrick’s University Hospital, to celebrate service users and encourage engagement with service user networks, with SUAS hosting an ‘information stand’ at the annual event.
  • Responsibility for service user engagement moves from under the remit of clinical services to the advocacy and communications remit, reflecting a broader organisational commitment to independence, transparency, and meaningful involvement. This move ensures that service user feedback is considered beyond the lens of clinical priorities, allowing for a more holistic approach.
  • SPMHS, in partnership with the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA), initiates a literacy-friendly audit, demonstrating a commitment to making mental health information more accessible, inclusive, and understandable for all service users.
  • Stephen Burke represents SUAS and SPMHS at the European Sport & Physical Exercise Event for Mental Health in Greece.
  • Service users invited to contribute to awareness-raising and advocacy campaigns run by SPMHS such as the WIMS radio pop-up initiative for World Mental Health Day in October.

• 2019, Chair: Sean Fitzpatrick

  • Quarterly service user consultative forums, attended by Board members, launch, providing service users opportunities to engage with the highest levels of governance within the organisation and provide feedback and input across a wide range of projects and developments within St Patrick’s.
  • Full-time dedicated position of Service User Engagement Lead is established, reinforcing SPMHS’ commitment to enhancing opportunities for meaningful service user engagement. Siobhan Fitzharris takes up the role.
  • The Chair of SUAS, the Director of Engagement and Advocacy and the Information Centre Manager visit Kings College Hospital in the UK to explore best practice service user engagement.
  • SUAS members complete media and presentation skills training to enhance their skillset and confidence in sharing their lived experiences to a wider audience and creating the opportunity to amplify the voices of those with lived experiences.
  • Service users invited to contribute to awareness-raising and advocacy campaigns run by SPMHS such as WIMS Radio and print and broadcast media interviews.
  • Service users invited to contribute to consultations on remote service delivery including the development of SPMHS’ online service user portal, Your Portal.

• 2020, Chair: Sean Fitzpatrick

  • SUAS launches a pre-discharge session for inpatient service users called the ‘Information Café’. The ‘Information Café’ is designed to support service users who are nearing discharge by providing practical support and guidance from experts by experience.
  • SUAS Chair joins the Research Ethics Committee in the role of service user representative to help shape the development of research projects within SPMHS.
  • SUAS member Gary Kieran participates in SPMHS’ #NoStigma campaign and is interviewed on RTE’s Morning Ireland. Following this interview, Minister for Mental Health, Mary Butler TD, invites Gary to attend a two-hour meeting in her constituency office to share his views on mental health services from the perspective of someone with lived experience. This resulted in the Minister seeking consultation with a wider network of advocates with lived experience of mental health difficulties in SPMHS, with the view to shaping the future of mental health policy.
  • A new Service User Engagement Guidelines brochure for staff is launched to provide guidance about the role of service user engagement in helping to shape and influence future developments at SPMHS. The guidance document aims to support SPMHS staff members who wish to engage service users to help design, develop and evaluate SPMHS’ delivery of services.
  • The Service User Portal Design team is formed with a panel of seven SUAS and SUAN members to help shape the development of Your Portal.

• 2021, Chair: Marian Teresa Slevin

  • SUAS updates and relaunches a revised version of the Carers and Supporters Guide
  • Online peer support service ‘Here 4 U’ launches; a free online peer-to-peer support service, run by and for service users of SPMHS, where people who have shared experiences of mental health difficulties can support one another. The launch of Here 4 U receives national coverage, with a TV segment on Virgin Media news.
  • SUAS members complete Committee Skills training, designed to support them in contributing effectively to committees and meetings.
  • The Remote Care Advisory Forum is established with a panel of 16 SUAS and SUAN members, meeting monthly to ensure service user involvement in remote care applications development and enhancement.

• 2022, Chair: Gary Kiernan

  • SUAS submits ‘Peer Support Worker’ proposal to SPMHS’ Clinical Governance Committee, proposing a pilot programme where members of SUAS, as experts by experience, offer encouragement, guidance, and practical assistance to current service users through their shared experiences and knowledge. SPMHS continues to explore the introduction of peer support workers and the research into best practice is ongoing. An exploration into peer advocacy for family members also commences.
  • SUAN members invited to join the Academic Institute Steering Group. The Academic Institute plays a crucial role in exploring how best to deliver and improve mental health treatment and evidence-based practice, working to promote and raise awareness of the importance of research to SPMHS’ service users.
  • SUAS hosts webinar: ‘Celebrating Carers in Mental Health Recovery’ to mark Carers Week and to recognise the important role of family members, carers and supporters in the Recovery Journey.
  • The Family, Carers and Supporters Advisory Network is established to ensure that the views of those who support SPMHS’ service users are included in how SPMHS develops its services.
  • The ‘Information Café’ (the non-clinical discharge meeting) is incorporated into the ‘Pillars of Wellness’ programme to increase reach and attendance. These sessions provide support to current service users who may be anxious about their discharge and runs twice per month.
  • SUAS members complete Media and Presentation Skills training to support them in sharing their lived experiences through participation in awareness-raising events and media interviews.
  • SUAS invited to contribute to a consultation on the development of SPMHS’ 2023 – 2027 organisational strategy.

• 2023, Chair: Gary Kiernan

  • Second independent evaluation of SPMHS service user engagement structures is completed, with the report citing evidence that SPMHS places a strong emphasis on rights-based approaches in the delivery and development of its services. The report, and its recommendations, is circulated to SPMHS’ senior management team to incorporate into the development of SPMHS’ 2023 – 2027 organisational strategy.
  • During an official visit to SPMHS by representatives from the World Health Organization, SUAS presents on the service user involvement structure within SPMHS.
  • SUAS members complete further Committee Skills training.

• 2024, Chair: Gary Kiernan and Michael McNamara

  • SUAS develops the ‘SUAS Wall’ display space in SPUH to increase awareness of the Council and the work it does, as well as to encourage current service users and their families to get involved with service user engagement structures post-discharge.
  • A new service user experience survey dashboard is developed by the Service User Engagement Lead, providing better access to service user feedback in real time. The dashboard, which is shared monthly with the Senior Management Team, presents key metrics and comments gathered from the service user experience surveys, helping to identify what is working well and where improvements or review may be required.

• 2025, Chair: Chris Miley

  • SUAS celebrates its 20^th anniversary, marking two decades of meaningful contributions to the development and enhancement of services at SPMHS.