Ireland has published a €1m digital mental health strategy outlining national plans for digital tools, shared records and technology to improve mental health services.
The strategy focuses on access, communications, digital tools, co-production, research, innovation and technology.
Key initiatives include the HSE Health App, national shared care record, community care record and electronic health records.
It builds on the Sharing the Vision mental health policy for 2020 to 2030, which included two specific digital recommendations: using social media and digital channels to promote services and signpost support, and using digital health solutions to support service delivery and empower service users.
The overarching aim is to use digital technologies to improve the quality and accessibility of mental health information, tools and services.
Principles include co-design with service users and the public, standards and governance, digitally secure foundations, digital inclusion and a digitally enabled workforce.
Mary Butler, minister for mental health, said: “This strategy sets out a clear vision: to harness and scale the use of digital technologies to provide safe, effective and accessible mental health information, tools and services.
“It represents a significant step forward in how we deliver mental health services in Ireland.
“By embracing digital innovation, we can expand accessibility and increase reach so that more people can access the supports they need. This is about building a more connected, responsive and inclusive mental health service.”
Implementation will include service improvement and development across apps, websites, wearables, electronic health records and electronic prescribing and medicines administration.
The government said this will also consider user autonomy, target audience and purpose.
Governance structures will be introduced to ensure provision reflects diverse needs, including areas described as under-developed to date, such as technology supporting specialist and acute mental health services.
The HSE App, My Mental Health Plan and Navigator will promote access to services and resources, and digital mental health will be embedded through integrated service development planning.
Digital infrastructure, digitally enabled workplaces, a digitally skilled workforce and digitally enabled service users will be key to maximising opportunities from technology, the government said.
Stakeholders will be engaged in wider digital developments, including supporting the Community Care Record project.
A minimum dataset for digital mental health will be established, and the first HSE Framework for Health Innovation, due in Q1 2026 as a blueprint to foster innovation, will be reviewed to assess how it can support new digital mental health products and services.
Partners will also be engaged to advance initiatives and emerging use cases such as AI predictive modelling in care and research.
Digital mental health products and services will be required to meet data standards, General Data Protection Regulation requirements and the European Health Data Space.
Mental health dashboards and tools such as Power BI will be developed. Data sharing between stakeholders will be supported, including discussion around anonymised and integrated mental health datasets, and new opportunities such as the HSE community care record will be monitored for compliance and development.
“To date, digital mental health has been largely unregulated and lacking in a coherent and accepted set of standards,” the government states.
“Standards for digital mental health will be developed in line with agreed principles and values and implemented to continuously and flexibly maintain high levels of safety and ethics on behalf of all stakeholders.”
HSE will work on regulations and standards to be used across the health system.
On access and equity, the government said digital technology will be used to increase access to mental health information, tools and services for all.
Recommendations from the Digital Inclusion and Access to Mental Health Services 2023 report will be reviewed, and the Department of Health is developing an Inclusion Health Framework for the wider health sector to inform implementation.
Digital mental health products and services will be reviewed for compliance with language and accessibility legislation, and these requirements will be incorporated into standards for new products and services.
Communications will be targeted to raise awareness of digital mental health tools, including through local champions.
Existing training mechanisms will be used to improve digital health skills among staff, and training curricula may be adapted to reflect the growing role of digital in mental health and the skills required by frontline staff.
Potential uses for technologies such as AI will be considered to help free up capacity for clinical engagement.
