Synopsis

This presentation describes the development of Ireland’s first National Mental Health Experience Survey (NMHES). The NMHES asks people discharged from acute inpatient mental health units and hospitals about their experiences of care to identify areas of good experience and where improvements can be made.
People with lived experience of mental health services, health and social care professionals, advocacy representatives, policy makers, and academic experts participated in developing the questionnaire. This helped to ensure that the content, language, and topics reflect the aspects of care and the environment that matter to those using the services, while generating meaningful and actionable data.
The questionnaire follows the pathway of care including; admission, care in the mental health unit or hospital, discharge and follow-up care. It asks about the accommodation while in inpatient care, privacy, support with physical health needs, choice in social and recreational activities, interactions with staff, involvement of family, friends and carers as well as whether the facility met their needs.
The NMHES is one of seven programmes of engagement undertaken by the National Care Experience Programme (NCEP). These have informed improvements in the design of healthcare environments such as postnatal hubs for new mothers and private rooms at end of life. The presentation outlines how other NCEP programmes have informed the built environment in other care settings.