Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In the winter plan there was no provision for additional supports in emergency departments for people experiencing mental health difficulties. On average, we have 5,500 adults per year presenting to emergency departments with suicidal thoughts. That is an average of 100 people per week attending our emergency departments. Emergency departments are not an appropriate environment for anyone suffering from mental ill-health but because of the lack of access to 24-7 emergency mental health services, it is sometimes the only option for people. People should have the right to mental health supports when and where they need them. We know that mental health problems do not happen from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on a Monday to Friday and they can happen anytime. We, therefore, need a mental health service that is accessible and operates on a 24-7 basis for people to get the help they need.

Let us imagine being a person with suicidal thoughts who arrives at an emergency department that is overwhelmed. Does the Minister think that person who presents to the emergency department following self-harm or suicide-related ideation will receive compassionate, empathetic, validating responses, as outlined in the HSE model of care? The reality is much different. In January, Sinn Féin and I published the results of a survey that asked people to share their experiences of mental health, and I sent the Ministers copies of this report. One of the sections in our survey asked about people's experiences of seeking help for mental health difficulties in emergency departments. Almost 60% of people who took part in our survey attended an emergency department to seek support for mental health difficulties, yet 85% of them felt they did not get the support they needed. We have all heard of the tragedies of people presenting to emergency departments desperate for help and not receiving it. It is high time the Government prioritised mental health.

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