Since ‘Sharing the Vision’ was published in 2020, Ireland has experienced major shifts in its mental health services landscape, not least because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This means that implementing this ambitious policy is a particularly complex programme of work. Working directly as a part of the Policy Implementation Team CES has played a key role in defining and establishing Ireland’s National Mental Health Policy Implementation Programme, beginning with requirements gathering (Requirements gathering for Sharing the Vision – Ireland's mental health policy) an assessment of current activity, and the co-development of two implementation plans (2022-2024 and 2025-2027).
Establishment of Governance for National Policy Delivery: CES supported the establishment of programme governance and work breakdown structures including the development of a fully functioning Project Management Office (PMO). Our team members have created strong working relationships with HSE and Department of Health colleagues and worked together with them to conduct discovery work, clarify objectives/timelines, and embed tools, controls, and reporting processes. They have also coached and mentored PMO staff to independently manage day-to-day operations.
Embedding Co-Production into Every Delivery Phase: CES supported programme teams to design actionable, person-centred approaches, and realistic workstream plans aligned with strategic goals and the wider healthcare landscape. We led the design and facilitation of co-produced workshops (e.g. logic modelling, prioritisation, requirements gathering, strategic direction) and developed a stakeholder engagement and communications strategy. Service users, clinicians, and leaders contributed throughout, embedding a co-production model into planning and delivery.
Enabling Informed Decision Making at Scale: CES developed programme-level reporting systems to monitor progress, manage risks and issues, and track benefits realisation across all workstreams. These reporting structures enabled the policy implementation team to track progress, inform decision-making, and strengthen governance oversight to support consistent, data-driven implementation.
Building Implementation Culture Across Teams: CES built capacity and knowledge across the implementation team through coaching, tailored training, and the coordination and delivery of project support fora. We supported workstream leads in project definition, risk management, prioritisation, and resource planning.
Our expertise in implementation science, service design, policy, and evaluation helped foster a programme culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
“CES really enabled us, in the HSE and Department of Health, to begin implementing an ambitious transformation programme with real impact. By breaking down a programme of 100 recommendations into 10 practical workstreams a purpose and drive has been generated allowing us make service improvements and plan for changes to enhance the way we do things in mental health in Ireland. The CES team bring robust research and change-management knowledge together with a real-world pragmatism that is a level above standard project management support.”
Derek Chambers, General Manager (Policy Implementation), National Mental Health, HSE Access & Integration
Sharing the Vision Implementation Plans are available here:
Sharing the Vision - A Mental Health Policy for Everyone
To speak to our team about this work contact us here
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