Inaugural meeting of National Mental Health Research Strategy Implementation and Oversight Group
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The Department of Health has formally begun the implementation phase of Ireland’s first National Mental Health Research Strategy, with the inaugural meeting of a newly established stakeholder group held last month.
The National Mental Health Research Strategy, published in December 2024, sets out a comprehensive framework to advance mental health research across Ireland. Its implementation will be guided by a newly formed Implementation and Oversight Group, which brings together representatives from government departments, state agencies, service providers, clinicians, academic researchers, and individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill emphasised the transformative potential of the strategy:
“Mental health touches all of our lives, and high-quality, timely research is key to making real, lasting improvements in how we shape policy and how we support people through their journeys. With strategic implementation, the new Research Strategy will have an invaluable impact on enhancing the quality and relevance of mental health research in Ireland. The Implementation and Oversight Group will be at the heart of this work, helping to ensure that every step we take is grounded in purpose and guided by evidence."
Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler welcomed the establishment of the Group, describing it as a key milestone in Ireland’s commitment to evidence-based mental health reform.
“This landmark research strategy marks a milestone in Ireland’s commitment to enhancing mental health services and supports through the production of high-quality research and evidence. When I launched the Research Strategy at the end of 2024, I emphasised that our task now lies in ensuring that its vision is realised, and this can only be achieved through effective and impactful implementation.
“The new Implementation and Oversight Group for the National Mental Health Research Strategy brings together key stakeholders, including people with lived experience, to advance the Strategy’s goals and ambitions, ensuring that they are translated into meaningful action.”
The Group will meet regularly to monitor progress, foster collaboration, and ensure that the Strategy’s recommendations are delivered in full, with the aim of building a robust mental health research system that improves understanding and outcomes for all.
Notes
Implementation and Oversight Group for the National Mental Health Research Strategy
The overarching objectives of the Group are to:
- Develop and agree implementation plans outlining lead responsibilities and timelines for actions. The first implementation plan will cover the period 2025-2027.
- Monitor the delivery of actions against agreed timeframes by reviewing progress reports.
- Review each year the annual progress report prior to submission to the National Implementation and Monitoring Committee for Sharing the Vision.
The Group is co-chaired by Muiris O’Connor, the Department of Health’s Assistant Secretary for Research & Development and Health Analytics, and Siobhan McArdle, Assistant Secretary for Social Care, Mental Health, Drugs policy and Unscheduled Care.
The Research Strategy encompasses 40 actions to be achieved across research funding, the Strategy’s four pillars (infrastructure, capacity, co-production, and collaboration), and research impact.
National Mental Health Research Strategy
This groundbreaking strategy is Ireland’s first national mental health research strategy. Developed in alignment with Ireland’s national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision – A Mental Health Policy for Everyone, the research strategy sets a clear direction for mental health research in Ireland. The strategy’s vision is an Ireland with a thriving mental health research system that strengthens our understanding of mental health and positively impacts mental health and wellbeing for all.
It outlines a comprehensive framework designed to foster integration, innovation, and impact, ensuring that mental health research drives evidence-based policy and practice. Key recommendations include:
- Increase and sustain funding across the mental health research system
- Research priority areas to advance mental health research, aligned with the Sharing the Vision policy
- Strengthen research infrastructure, research workforce capacity, co-production and lived experience engagement, and collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners
- Maximise the impact of mental health research on the wellbeing of people with mental health difficulties and their families, supporters, and communities.