About NPIRS

National Psychiatric Inpatient Reporting System (NPIRS)

The National Psychiatric Inpatient Reporting System (NPIRS)

NPIRS database is the only national psychiatric in-patient database in Ireland and was established on the recommendations of the Commission of Enquiry on Mental Illness (Department of Health, 1966). It has been managed by the Health Research Board (HRB), since 1971. The NPIRS database collects data from all approved centres under the Mental Health Act 2001.

Data collected includes

Demographic details
Socio-economic data
Admissions to approved centres
Discharges from approved centres
Diagnosis on admission and discharge
Deaths in approved centres.

Data collection

Data files are returned to the NPIRS Team according to agreed specifications and files are uploaded to the LINK system. A number of approved centres enter their data directly onto the LINK system allowing them to run their own reports and check their own data. The NPIRS User Manual provides details on data collection and changes over time.

NPIRS manual

Request for data

Analysis of NPIRS data collected is provided, on request, to units and hospitals that submit data to the NPIRS database by contacting npirs@hrb.ie.

For researchers, and all others requiring data, please see our interactive tables on the Central Statistics Office (CSO) website. If the data you need is not available on these tables, please complete the National Health Information Systems (NHIS) data request form and accept the terms and conditions for use of NPIRS data. The form is in editable PDF format and can be returned to: npirs@hrb.ie.

Request for data

NPIRS Advisory Committee

The NPIRS Team engages with its key stakeholders regularly through the NPIRS Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee has representatives from:

Department of Health (DoH), Chair
Health Service Executive (HSE)
independent/private providers
lived experience/service users
Mental Health Commission (MHC)
advocacy groups/organisations
Health Research Board (HRB), Secretariat