The Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler TD announced the appointment of Mental Health Ireland’s friend and colleague Catherine Brogan as the next independent Chair of the National Implementation and Monitoring Committee (NIMC) of Sharing the Vision – a Mental Health Policy for Everyone (2020-2030).
Catherine will take the position from January 2024, succeeding the previous Chair, Mr John Saunders, whose term will end in December 2023. The NIMC is responsible for driving and overseeing the implementation and roll out of Sharing the Vision, Ireland’s national mental health policy. Sharing the Vision is a whole system policy to enhance the provision of mental health services and supports across a broad continuum from promotion of positive mental health to specialist mental health service delivery.
Minister Butler said: “The appointment of an independent Chairperson for the NIMC is key to the successful implementation of our national mental health policy Sharing the Vision. I am really pleased that Catherine Brogan will take on the role. Ms Brogan brings a wealth of experience in the mental health sector, and her breadth of knowledge will ensure that the implementation of Sharing the Vision remains consistent with national standards in mental health care and will deliver enhanced mental health services.
Catherine succeeds John Saunders who has done an excellent job in steering the NIMC since taking up the Chair role in 2020. I would like to sincerely thank him for his significant contribution and commitment to the role, and to the implementation of mental health policy nationally.”
Sharing the Vision has a strong focus on outcomes achieved for people using mental health services, with significant cross-sectoral and inter-departmental commitments to improve the mental health of Ireland’s population, across each person’s lifecycle. The policy seeks to enhance a wide range of services, from mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention to acute and specialist services, and places the needs of the individual at the centre of service delivery.
The appointment of a Chair to lead the NIMC in independently overseeing the implementation of Sharing the Vision is an important step in driving these objectives.
Catherine Brogan said: “It is an honour to accept this role. I am passionate about mental health and seeing the recommendations of Sharing the Vision being translated into practical application. Sharing the Vision addresses mental health in its broadest context, from promotion, prevention, intervention and postvention. It also ensures that there is a recognition of the connection between mental and physical health and the impact of the social determinants of mental health on the whole population. I would like to thank Minister Butler for this appointment, and I look forward to working with her and the NIMC.”
