Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 January 2026
531. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Health to examine the provision of whole-family support and wrap around services for families and individuals experiencing a mental health crisis in their homes; to address the urgent need for improved responses and supports given the scale of the mental health crisis in the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3042/26]
View answerCrisis mental health supports, including those with 24/7 coverage, are currently provided across a number of settings and services, including hospital based services, out of hours services such as CAMHS on-call, and also through community services funded by the HSE such as crisis phone and text services which support people in crisis to safety plan and connect with their networks of support.
The model of care for Crisis Resolution Services was developed as a direct recommendation of Sharing the Vision, Ireland’s national mental health policy and recognises that people who are experiencing a mental health crisis need access to specialist services that can provide timely brief interventions and connect people to mental health services in their communities.
Crisis Resolution Teams are teams of mental health professionals who work out of hours to meet people in a crisis and provide rapid assessment and intensive intervention. There are six Crisis Resolution Teams currently operational in Galway, Sligo/Leitrim, Cork City (two teams), Waterford City and County, and South Dublin/Wicklow. The Limerick Crisis Resolution Team is due to commence operations later this year.
Crisis Cafés also called ‘Solace Cafes’ provide a welcoming, non-clinical safe environment, providing a range of support for those who need to use its services. This includes crisis support, signposting, peer support, and community support. The Cafes are now open in Cork City, South Dublin, Sligo and an additional Solace Café has opened in Limerick last year. A Solace Café is due to be established in Waterford in the near future.
Additional funding has been allocated by myself as Minister for three additional Crisis Resolution Teams and associated Solace Cafes in Budget 2026 in Donegal, Kerry and the Midlands (Tullamore/Westmeath).
In addition, the Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse (SCAN) service provides a timely response to requests for assessment of patients in suicidal crisis from GPs. The SCAN service was originally developed under the National Clinical Programme for Self-harm and Suicide-related Ideation (NCPSHI) which was introduced in Irish public hospital emergency departments in 2014. Primarily delivered by clinical nurse specialists with support from a consultant psychiatrist in each hospital area, the programme supports people presenting with suicidal ideation as well as self-harm. The model of care for the service envisages a dedicated mental health assessment room within hospitals to provide a more appropriate environment for assessments to take place.
As Minister , with the Department I support the HSE to develop alternatives to emergency departments for people in a mental health crisis, the Minister is aware that people will continue to present to hospitals in distress, as evidenced by the Mental Health Commission’s thematic review published in 2025.
Informed by this, I have allocated further funding in Budget 2026 to the HSE to establish specialist nursing teams in the emergency departments of all Model 4 hospitals out-of-hours. This, coupled with the expansion of community alternatives such as crisis resolution teams and crisis cafes, will fundamentally change how we respond to the needs of people in distress. I will seek to roll these teams out across Model 3 hospitals in future annual estimates processes.
As this relates to a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to you.
