Service User Participation

St. Patrick’s University Hospital is committed to enhancing service user involvement and has an active Consumer Council.

Service users are consulted pro-actively about strategic developments and changes within the Hospital and are involved at a number of levels monitoring, participating and consulting on various developments. A service user nominee to the Board of Governors has been appointed and attends board meetings on a quarterly basis.

Service users are also represented on a number of Hospital Committees and continue to be involved in diverse activities such as the establishment of the Adolescent Services Unit and the launch of ‘Mental Health Matters Phase 2’ and bringing a new perspective to staff recruitment while engaged on interview panels.

The “Expert by Experience” initiative continues to progress, working actively to build an expert panel of service users to broaden participation and consultation within the Hospital and the Consumer Council has produced a comprehensive document advocating a “Journey with Dignity” through the hospital from the first point of contact to discharge and aftercare. Some changes are already in progress on foot of this document.

The Consumer Council is affiliated to the National Service User Executive (NSUE), a national representative body for service users.