Managed by the Health Research Board (HRB) on behalf of the Department of Health, NPIRS is a database that provides detailed information on all admissions to and discharges from in-patient psychiatric services in Ireland. This data is used for service planning and delivery, and for policy development and implementation monitoring, supporting the government’s current mental health policies ‘Sharing the Vision’ and ‘Connecting for Life’. NPIRS data is shared in the form of quarterly reports on key indicators, an annual statistics report, regional bulletins, a regular in-patient census, interactive tables and through requests for data or research collaborations. Key stakeholders include the Department of Health, the Health Service Executive (HSE), clinicians, service user advocacy groups, and researchers.  

The new committee will advise on the future development of NPIRS: for example, giving guidance to the NPIRS team if issues arise in collecting inpatient data, or providing expertise on new mental health policies and practice that may impact on NPIRS data collection and reporting. The ultimate aim is to ensure the system continues to provide relevant, accessible, accurate and timely data on activity in inpatient units, while identifying new opportunities for the evolution of policy and service delivery. 

Mary Butler, Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People, said: “I welcome the establishment of the new Advisory Committee supporting the work of the HRB National In-Patient Reporting System (NPIRS). The Advisory Committee brings together, for the first time, key stakeholders in the area of mental health, to advise on optimising ongoing mental health data collection and reporting as well as advising on future enhancements of NPIRS. This is a significant step in optimising the mental health data collected and reported with a view to demonstrating achievement of best mental health outcomes for Ireland as set out in Sharing the Vision.”  

Dr Mairéad O’Driscoll, HRB Chief Executive, said: “NPIRS is our oldest information system, collecting data since the 1960s. By giving a voice to key stakeholders and feeding in their diverse expertise, the new Advisory Committee will make an invaluable contribution to how the system operates – benefitting those who use inpatient mental health services over the long term. NPIRS can also support the development of HRB’s mental health research strategy as part of Sharing the Vision, where some of the work funded may involve secondary use of this data.”