I want to ask about the facilities for mental health treatment within University Hospital Galway. The acute mental health facility within the hospital has 50 beds but they are consistently full. That raises concerns about the ability to admit new patients to the ward. Increasingly and anecdotally, I am coming across stories of people attending the accident and emergency unit who are unable to access an inpatient bed. To compound matters, the Mental Health Commission found that the accident and emergency unit at University Hospital Galway was one of eight hospitals in the country - my understanding is it was the only tier 4 hospital - without a dedicated space for mental health assessment. The Sharing the Vision implementation plan advised that letters have been sent to all these hospitals, including Galway. I am seeking an update on that.

I thank the Deputy for this important question. All emergency departments should have a separate, quiet assessment place. That is in Sharing the Vision. I will liaise with the REO, Tony Canavan, in relation to why that is not the case. To support people who attend emergency departments in crisis, across the road from Galway University Hospital, in 2022, I opened a crisis cafe to support people while they wait to attend the emergency department. We have seen an 18% reduction in those who need to attend the emergency department as a result of that crisis cafe. In budget 2026, I secured funding for 40 whole-time equivalents for model 4 hospitals to put crisis nursing teams into emergency departments out of hours to support non-consultant hospital doctors, which should have a significant impact.