The recent Assembly debate on 16 February exposed a stark truth: Northern Ireland still does not have reliable, publicly validated data to show whether mental health services are meeting need, how long people are waiting, or whether outcomes are improving.

Despite being five years into a 10-year Mental Health Strategy, and after repeated warnings from oversight bodies, the Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt MLA, confirmed that key figures remain “management information” rather than official statistics. In effect, the data exists — but it is not considered robust enough for formal publication.

The Minister attributed the delay to the Department of Health’s new Encompass digital care record system, built by Epic at a cost of £360 million to date. He described it as “a system built to go to the moon but currently being used for a short trip to Spain.” The system is now in a two-year “stabilisation” phase, potentially pushing meaningful reporting close to 2027 — six years into the Strategy.

Campaigners argue this is not simply a technical issue, but a long-standing accountability failure. Since 2021, serious weaknesses in mental health data collection and publication have been flagged by regulators and auditors. Yet in 2026, the public still cannot access basic performance information.

Ger McParland of New Script for Mental Health said:

“People cannot hold services to account if the numbers are not published. Families cannot understand delays. MLAs cannot scrutinise spending. Strategy without measurable public reporting is simply rhetoric and a fundamental failure in accountability. We were told that Encompass is the solution. Yet it is now in a two-year ‘stabilisation’ period. That takes us close to 2027 — six years into the Strategy — before meaningful reporting may be in place.”

The gaps are stark. There is no validated, routinely published regional waiting-time data; no published Mental Health Outcomes Framework; no public dashboard comparable to other UK regions; no time-bound milestones for the stabilisation phase; and no confirmed publication date for Trust-level comparable data.

Halfway through the Mental Health Strategy 2021–2031, the public still cannot see how many people are waiting and for how long, whether spending aligns with need, whether outcomes are improving, or whether inequalities by region and deprivation are narrowing. Without this information, it is impossible to judge performance or value for money.

Mary Gould, also a New Script activist, highlighted the human cost:

“This is not about spreadsheets or systems — it is about saving lives. When the Minister admits mental health data will not be published for at least another two years, he is admitting that we will continue to make life-and-death decisions in the dark. Data is not a technical add-on to reform; it is how we know whether people are getting help in time, whether suicide prevention is working, and whether services are reaching those most at risk. Transparency is not optional — it is the foundation of saving lives.”

The Minister insists data must be “robust” before publication. But transparency and validation should happen in parallel. Publishing provisional data with clear caveats is better than silence.

To restore public trust, immediate action is needed: a clear timetable for waiting-time statistics, publication of the Outcomes Framework, quarterly reporting, clear baselines and targets, RAG-rated indicators, and breakdowns by region and deprivation.

Without data, there is no accountability. And without accountability, there is no meaningful reform.