Liam HENNESSY

Liam Hennessy – Head of Mental Health Engagement

Intervention le 21 novembre de 18h à 18h40

« Démocratie, citoyenneté et revendication des usagers – Quand le savoir expérientiel des patients fait irruption dans la santé mentale »

Liam Hennessy has been an intermittent service user of both the public and independent mental health services in Ireland since his first experience of mental health issues in his mid teens. He is well now and a firm believer in the recovery and wellbeing model of mental health.

Liam took up the innovative post of Head of Mental Health Engagement in the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) in February, 2016. Liam, who sits as a full member of the National  Management Team for Irish Mental Health Services, leads on the putting in place of structures which ensure that the views and experiences of service users and their supporters are at the heart of the planning and delivery of Irish mental health services.

Liam has had a number of professional careers prior to his appointment as Head of Mental Health Engagement He has been a secondary school teacher, teaching English and History, a senior civil servant, a management consultant and, before taking up his position at the HSE, he was an inspector of mental health services at the Irish Mental Health Commission.

He has been involved formally with the service user and carer movement since 2007 as a member of a number of consumer bodies. In these roles, he acted as either lead or co author of a number of papers dealing with the journey to recovery, the needs of carers and perspectives on ECT as well as presenting at conferences and workshops.

Liam has academic qualifications in English and History, Psychology, Management, Education and Economics. He is the father of two adult daughters of whom he is very proud.

What are your motivation to attend the AdESM international Congress ?

To talk about cultural change and new ways of managing our mental health services.

Why would you recommend to participate to AdESM international Congress ?

An opportunity to hear what is new and fresh in the provision of mental health services from across Europe.

Can you sum up your intervention ?

Mental health services in Ireland are undertaking a major change process in line with specific national policy that service users or patients and their families and carers should be involved at every level of service design and delivery. In recent years, there has been an increasing focus by the Irish mental health services on working actively with service users, family members and carers. For example, an important service priority of the Irish National Mental Health Operations Team is : To ensure that the views of service users family members and carers are central to the design and delivery of services.

This is not a once off pilot initiative nor is it business as usual with slight tweaking around the edges. It is a management-led development of roles, structures and mechanisms to ensure that service users, family members and carers (SUFMC) are effectively and meaningfully involved in planning, implementing and evaluating services.