The Best Practice Guidance for Mental Health Services was officially launched in April 2017, at the inaugural HSE Mental Health Quality & Service User Safety Seminar (QSUS) at Dublin Castle.

The seminar provided an opportunity for attendees to become familiar with the new HSE Best Practice Guidance for Mental Health Services, explore national level quality and safety trends, and hear from mental health professionals working on quality and safety in Ireland and further afield. The event provided an opportunity for colleagues from across the country to meet and to build on the HSE’s commitment to foster a supportive community of practice in quality and safety, as outlined in the HSE Mental Health 2017 Operational Plan.

 Speakers at the event included:

• Dr Sabina Fahy CD (Consultant – Psychiatry of Later Life)
• Linda Moore (National Quality, Standards and Compliance Officer, Mental Health, HSE)
• Dr David Hall (Clinical Director Mental Health, Healthcare Improvement Scotland)
• Samantha McEwan (Associate Improvement Advisor, Scottish patient Safety Programme)
• Con Buckley (Service User Representative)
• Clare O’Neill (Risk and Incident, Monitoring, Learning and Support Officer, Mental Health, HSE)
• Anne O’Connor (National Director Mental Health, HSE)

Watch some contributors give their reflections on the launch:

Speaking about the Seminar and Guidelines, Anne O’Connor, HSE National Director Mental Health, said;

 “Quality and safety are at the heart of national and regional service plans, and at this inaugural QSUS seminar we will address local and regional issues faced in ensuring services are safe and of the highest possible quality, and national trends that demonstrate improvements.  We believe that we will get to know our services better and so improve safety and quality. In doing so we will ensure regulatory compliance as a result of day to day practice rather than a separate area of work."