June 2025
As I approach the completion of my tenure as interim CEO of Mental Health Reform I have many positive reflections on the past 9 months.
The most important of these for me is the amazing people I have met in both the voluntary and statutory sectors and their collective and personal commitment to improving mental health policy and services in Ireland and those with lived experience without glossing over what needs to be done.
Some stand out reflections include:
The determination of Minister Butler to ensure the Mental Health Bill was prioritised before and after the general election and the genuine concern for ‘doing the right thing’ by political parties in opposition.
The amazing CEO’s and staff and board members in VCS mental health and disability organisations, including my colleagues in MHR past and present.
- The commitment of those in the HSE and DOH leadership and Sharing the Vision in shaping mental health services, and the massive task of ensuring HSE regionalisation is completed well
- The launch of the MHR London School of Economics report advocating for the scaling up of child and youth mental health services and why this makes sense from an economic as well as human rights perspective
- The moving testimony of those with lived experience, one elderly man recalled being told by one clinician when he was young person needing help ‘he had no entitlement to love or affection’
- The wider VCS sector coming together to advocate for improved resourcing and contracts with the VCS sector – much done – more to do
- Our success in helping to secure so much into the Programme for Government but also the challenge to ensure that these commitments are fully realised
We are in a transitional period in MHR as we seek to recruit a new CEO for the next phase and we will shortly welcome Dr Judith Malone as our new chairperson. There remains so many challenges includings waiting lists for services for adults and children and the general underfunding of mental health services in Ireland. However I do detect shafts of light and a general sense of greater partnership working towards common goals and this leaves me more confident that, despite inevitable setbacks along the way, if we continue to work together there will be continued positive changes.
Philip Watt
Interim CEO