Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
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27. To ask the Minister for Health the progress made by his Department in respect of the status of the mental health de-escalation unit and the dual diagnosis programme for the mid-west; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39430/24]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The pilot project Community Access Support Team (CAST), to be trialed in the Limerick Garda Division, is to be launched next week October 7th, with the team expected to become fully operational shortly thereafter.

It is not a de-escalation unit per se, but instead is a partnership project between An Garda Síochána and the HSE and involves a team based approach to supporting vulnerable people presenting with mental health difficulties and situational trauma.

It will complement the work of our National Clinical Programme on Dual Diagnosis,, which will develop services to people who experiences both a substance abuse problem and a mental health issue, with treatment options to address both.

The Model of Care, which I launched last year with Minister Naughton, describes a clear clinical pathway of integrated service delivery across primary care, substance misuse, community mental health and acute services, through the development of 12 Adult Specialist Dual Diagnosis Teams nationally, and 4 Adolescent Teams.

To date, funding of over €2 million has been provided to support recruitment in this area, and in Budget 2025 I have allocated €600,000 for an additional 10 WTEs.

Recruitment for the two adult teams in the Midwest and County Cork is ongoing and the teams are not yet accepting referrals, and recruitment for the two adolescent teams in the Dublin area are also at an advanced stage.

Individuals who require treatment for dual diagnosis are currently being supported by the relevant HSE social inclusion addiction services in their community.