Written answer
Mental Health Services
The Minister said CAMHS inpatient waiting lists are generally very low, but acknowledged some children require alternative care. She outlined a three-year reform plan, including an integrated crisis pathway, 18 additional inpatient beds, stronger hospital liaison services and expanded community supports to reduce emergency department reliance.
3142. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Health her plans to address the situation of children awaiting CAMHS inpatient beds while being held in accident and emergency departments and paediatric wards across the country; the interim supports available to these children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54994/26]
Comment on this
It is important to stress, first of all, that the pattern over recent years has been that, subject to the normal CAMHS admission criteria, the waiting list to access beds in any of our four CAMHS in-patient units nationally has been very low and that this has not been an obstacle to any young person accessing a unit. It is sometimes the case that young people in acute paediatric care require further care options other than the specialist CAMHS service.
The HSE Child and Youth Mental Health Office recently published a new three year action plan for comprehensive reform across all youth mental health services, including the specialist CAMHS service. This will deliver services which are safer, effective, easier to access and which offers appropriate support at all levels when needed. The plan sets out a clear roadmap to ensure children and families have equitable and timely access to high-quality mental health care, including better links with Primary Care, Disability Services, and Acute Paediatric hospitals if required.
Key aims are to ensure that young people nationally can access in a more comprehensive and integrated way, youth focused Mental Health care at the right time in the right place, as envisaged under Sláintecare reforms. The HSE will shortly launch a new Integrated Crisis Response Pathway for children and young people experiencing a mental health crisis across the 24/7 continuum of care, including an improved child and youth liaison approach with Emergency Departments.
Under Budget 2026, €10 million I provided to enhance services including to develop a new crisis response pathway for children and young people; to open two new early intervention youth mental health Jigsaw services; to support the digital single point of access for youth mental health services; to develop five new mental health Discovery Colleges for young people; to resource an additional specialist CAMHS eating disorders team and two new Mental Health of Intellectual Disabilities teams for children; and to open an additional 18 CAMHS acute inpatient beds.
On the broader front, I have ensured a significant programme of reform so that all those nationally experiencing mental distress have access to timely, appropriate community-based supports, outside of emergency departments wherever possible. To support this work, I provided €15 million in additional funding for crisis services in Budget 2026.
Since launching the Model of Care in 2023, I have for example funded nine Crisis Resolution Services at a recurring annual cost of almost €12 million. Six services are now operating in Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Dublin, Cork and Waterford, with a further three services funded through Budget 2026 for Donegal, Kerry and the Midlands. Each service includes a multidisciplinary team led by a consultant psychiatrist, alongside a crisis or “Solace” café staffed by peer support workers and volunteers.
These community-based services provide a practical alternative to emergency department attendance, operating extended hours until 10pm, including weekends. Evidence from areas where the model is established, including Limerick and Galway, shows significant reductions in both emergency department presentations and inpatient admissions.
Another important community-based initiative is the continued rollout of Suicide Crisis Assessment Nursing (SCAN) teams. These teams assess and support people who present to their GP in mental distress, often providing care directly in the GP practice or in the person’s home. I funded a further 6 SCAN teams in Budget 2026, bringing the total to 21 teams operating across 18 counties.
I am also keen to see every health region build on the success of the Kerry Mental Health Assessment Hub, based on the University Hospital Tralee campus. The Hub provides same-day mental health assessments in an alternative setting to the emergency department and has reduced waiting times for community mental health services from 12–16 weeks to just 1–2 weeks. It offers a strong blueprint for similar services across the country.
While these alternatives are expanding, some people will continue to require emergency department care. This may be because they have sustained physical injuries through self-harm or a suicide attempt, or because other symptoms may be linked to an underlying physical health condition. To improve care in these situations, I provided funding in Budget 2026 to establish new specialist out-of-hours mental health nursing teams in emergency departments. Staffed by experienced Advanced Nurse Practitioners and Clinical Nurse Specialists, these teams will provide timely, compassionate support to people presenting in distress.
In parallel, Consultation Liaison Psychiatry is being strengthened within acute hospitals. Although it remains a relatively new specialty, with its Model of Care launched in May 2025, services are being expanded incrementally nationwide. To support this rollout, I funded 19 additional liaison psychiatry posts under Budget 2026.
I have referred the Deputy's question to the HSE for direct reply in relation to the detailed operational issues raised.