Minister for Mental Health announces major investment in crisis supports and suicide prevention in Budget 2026
- Foilsithe:
- An t-eolas is déanaí:
- Unprecedented additional 300 whole-time-equivalent staff allocated to mental health services in 2026
- New investment of over €15m focused on crisis supports and suicide prevention
- Mental health funding has now increased by over 50% since 2020
Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler TD has announced an unprecedented 300 new staff for mental health services in Budget 2026, representing 9% of the total growth (3,300) in health service staffing next year.
The total allocation for mental health for 2026 will be almost €1.6bn, a record funding level and an increase for the sixth year in a row. Mental Health funding has increased by over 50% since 2020.
This record budget will allow for a major focus on improving support for people in mental health crisis both in hospitals and in the community through an additional €15m for crisis supports and suicide prevention. Significant progress has been made over the past three years to develop alternative crisis mental health pathways; however, emergency departments continue to see high volumes of mental health presentations with over 50,000 in 2024 according to the Mental Health Commission.
Using funding allocated by Minister Butler in Budget 2026, the HSE will establish specialist nursing teams in the emergency departments of all Model 4* hospitals out-of-hours, in addition to the establishment of a new crisis response pathway for children and young people staffed by specialist CAMHS doctors.
Three new Crisis Resolution Services with associated ‘drop-in’ crisis cafes will be funded for Donegal, Kerry and the Midlands as alternatives to emergency departments to support those in a mental health crisis. A further 12 Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurses (SCAN) will be recruited to work with people in acute distress who present to GP services in communities.
Minister Butler said:
“I’m very pleased to have worked closely with Minister Carroll MacNeill to secure an additional 300 staff for our mental health services. A third of these new clinicians will help us to target support to people in a mental health crisis both in our hospitals and in our communities.
By placing specialist nursing teams in our emergency departments out-of-hours, coupled with the expansion of community alternatives such as crisis resolution teams and crisis cafes, we are fundamentally changing how we respond to the needs of people in distress.
“I am also allocating funding of €1m in Budget 2026 to support the initial implementation of the new suicide reduction strategy for which nearly 2,000 people took part in the public consultation.
People told us about their experiences when engaging with services and emphasised that emergency departments were not always suitable environments for people in suicidal distress.
With this increased investment, we will provide further alternatives for people in distress to access support in a community setting. I have secured additional funding for Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurses (SCAN) who support people who present to GPs, and I will be increasing funding to support the live-saving work done by Pieta and other community and voluntary organisations also.”
Crisis Support & Suicide Reduction – New Measures of over €15m in Budget 2026:
- Specialist Nursing Teams made up of Advanced Nurse Practitioners and Clinical Nurse Specialists in all ‘Model 4’* hospital emergency departments out-of-hours (6pm-2am) to support people in crisis – (€2.8m)
- Three new Crisis Resolution Services including drop-in ‘Solace’ Crisis Cafes to support people in distress in Donegal, Kerry and the Midlands (Tullamore/Westmeath) – (€4m)
- Additional Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurses (SCAN) for supporting people in distress who present to GPs in the community – (€1m)
- Funding of €415,000 for several Traveller specific suicide prevention initiatives which have been co-designed with the Traveller Community
- Increased funding of €1.7m for suicide prevention community & voluntary organisations, including Pieta
- Funding of €1m to implement a new suicide reduction strategy
- Funding to develop a new crisis response pathway for children and young people with 19 new CAMHS specialist doctors for emergency liaison and out-of-hours as well as five new adult liaison psychiatrists – (€4m)
Budget 2026 will also deliver an increase in bed capacity for mental health services, including the opening and commissioning of 21 acute CAMHS inpatient beds. Funding will be allocated to staff the opening of 10 dedicated CAMHS beds in the new National Children's Hospital Ireland and reopen 11 CAMHS beds at Linn Dara. New staff will also be recruited to open 10 new Intensive Care Rehabilitation Unit (ICRU) beds at the National Forensic Mental Health Service in Portrane, Co. Dublin.
Notes
Model 4’ hospitals: Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin; St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin; St James’s Hospital, Dublin; Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin; Beaumont Hospital, Dublin; Cork University Hospital; University Hospital Waterford; University Hospital Galway; University Hospital Limerick
Mental Health Budget 2026 – Summary:
- The total allocation for mental health services for 2026 will be almost €1.6bn, a record funding level and an increase for the sixth year in a row. Mental Health funding has increased by over 50% since 2020 when Minister Butler was appointed to the brief.
- An additional 300 whole-time-equivalent staff will be hired in mental health services in 2026, representing 9% of the total growth in health service staffing next year.
- This year’s budget will focus on investing in crisis support and suicide prevention; early intervention and talking therapies for youth mental health and expanding the National Clinical Programmes; including Dual Diagnosis, Eating Disorders, Perinatal Mental Health, and specialist services for older people.
Further Initiatives in Mental Health included in Budget 2026:
- Child & Youth Mental Health:
- Funding to open two new intervention youth mental health services
- Funding for a digital single point of access for youth mental health services
- An additional specialist CAMHS eating disorders team
- Two new Mental Health of Intellectual Disabilities teams for children
- Five new mental health Discovery Colleges for young people
- Talking therapies, digital and peer support:
- Funding to implement the new digital mental health strategy
- A new talking therapies fund for providing Community Therapy Services
- Additional mental health peer support workers
- National Clinical Programmes:
- A new Dual Diagnosis team
- Funding to re-open the Keltoi treatment centre
- New consultants for Perinatal Mental Health
- Two new liaison teams for Mental Health Services for Older People and additional posts for community teams
- A new Adult Eating Disorder team
- A new Early Intervention in Psychosis team
- Additional core staffing for Adult Mental Health Teams
Support is always available
If you, or someone you know needs support, visit www.yourmentalhealth.ie – for information on how to mind your mental health, support others, or to find a support service in your area.
You can get help through:
- text HELLO to 50808 anytime day or night (24/7) to text with a trained listening volunteer
- your GP
- Emergency Department
- HSE Mental Health Services
- yourmentalhealth.ie or telephone information line 1800 111 888 - anytime day or night, for information on mental health services in your area. Mental health supports and services - HSE.ie
- Samaritans on 116 123
- Pieta House on 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444