Public Consultation on the Development of Standards for Community Residential Mental Health Services on Standards for Community Mental Health Services Survey

At present, the Mental Health Commission (MHC) is responsible for regulating 65 approved centres providing inpatient treatment to persons with a mental illness. However, under a proposed Heads of Bill to amend the Mental Health Acts 2001-2018, the MHC’s regulatory remit is expected to significantly expand to include the regulation of community mental health services. 

In advance of the expansion, the MHC is progressing with the development of standards for community residences. These are community-based facilities where persons with a mental illness can live during their recovery. They also provide longer-term care and support for persons with enduring mental illnesses.  

Purpose of this Survey

The purpose of this survey is to help the MHC identify key areas that the new standards for community residential mental health services should address. 

As part of this consultation, MHC would like to hear from all relevant stakeholders. We especially want to hear from people who have direct experience of being in a community residence, those close to them and those working in community residential mental health services.

We will carefully assess all survey responses received and use the information gathered, along with other available evidence, to develop the standards. 

You can complete the survey by clicking on the link Survey HERE on the Development of Standards for Community Residential Mental Health Services. 

While we encourage respondents to complete the survey using the online form, completed surveys may also be returned to [email protected] or by post to: Standards and Quality Assurance, Mental Health Commission, Waterloo Road, Dublin 4 D04 E5W7.  

For queries, or to request a physical copy of the survey, please contact [email protected] or telephone us on 01 636 2400.  

The consultation will close at 5pm on Tuesday 16 July 2024.

In addition to the consultation survey, we will be holding focus groups and interviews with interested parties in the coming months. If you would like to be involved in these, please email [email protected] by 16 July 2024.

Support

Please note that the MHC appreciates and recognises that a public consultation process can be difficult for some people. With that in mind, we would like to direct anyone in need of support to the link Help and Advice which provides key links and contact details for services and organisations that offer immediate or urgent support, and to organisations that offer general and specialised ongoing support. 

Concerns

If you have an issue of concern about a particular service, you can report that concern to us. For more information, click on the link to our page Report a Concern.