Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy referenced 2022 in his opening contribution and the report of the high-level task force was published in 2022. Progress is happening. Posts have been approved. Additional progress happened just yesterday. That underscores this Government's commitment to make this pilot happen. I have given him the target date of the fourth quarter of 2024.

From a HSE mid-west perspective, mental health needs across the population are addressed through community and primary care supports and services. People who require specialist mental health services are referred to one of the 13 adult community mental health teams across the regional health authority. Those who are experiencing acute mental health crisis can access support through the 24-7 mental health crisis team, which is based in the emergency department at UHL. In the mid-west, there are also out-of-hours mental health services available in Clare, north Tipperary and Limerick seven days per week.

While in many cases it is appropriate for people to be seen at an emergency department, the HSE is progressing as envisaged under our mental health policy, Sharing the Vision. The development of alternative treatments, such as a crisis resolution team, CRT, is being developed in Limerick under the national clinical programme for CRTs nationally.

The team's model of care in Limerick includes a community café that could become a key contact point when working with people in crisis. A city centre location in Limerick for the café and a partner agency to staff the café have been identified. Integration with this team will be central to CAST in the future. The CAST project is well placed also to develop an integrated diversion model incorporating the use of the adult caution scheme, diversionary interventions, non-prosecutorial practices and a support hub to facilitate appropriate, therapeutic and-or personal supports.

This partnership approach to calls relating to mental health and situational trauma between An Garda Síochána and local mental health services is to support those in distress. The CAST pilot project and the establishment of the new crisis resolution team are welcome developments for the mid-west and they are exactly part of what the Government sets out to achieve in terms of delivering for people in the mid-west, as the Deputy has said, where our Ministers are working.

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