Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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2403. To ask the Minister for Health if she will provide a detailed response to several points raised (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20698/25]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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On 9th April 2025 I launched the Sharing the Vision: A Mental Health Policy for Everyone Implementation Plan 2025 - 2027 at Dublin Castle. This document contained a number of commitments to enhance supports provided in Emergency Departments, such as ensuring the provision of appropriate environments for those presenting to Emergency Departments in mental health crisis, and ensuring continued investment in the National Clinical Care Programme for the Assessment and Management of Patients Presenting to Emergency Departments Following Self-Harm.

It is appropriate to ensure that those in mental health crisis have access to necessary supports in Emergency Departments should they need them.

In addition to this, I fully support the development of real alternatives to crisis support in emergency departments and will continue to prioritise securing additional funding to continue their expansion.

Several initiatives and developments continue to be advanced to support access to services, and to ensure that people with mental health difficulties can access the emergency supports that they need.

This includes:

Prioritising ongoing work of the National Clinical Programme for Self-Harm and Suicidal Ideation in relation to the issue of assessment rooms and securing safe, dedicated spaces within all EDs for mental health assessments.

National roll out of Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurses (SCAN), providing assessment and support to GP patients who present with suicide-related thoughts, who might otherwise be referred to the emergency department or community mental health services.

The roll out of a network of Crisis Resolution Teams, providing an extensive range of community focused mental health services, to address the needs of people requiring help with their mental health and reducing the requirement to access mental health care services at their local hospitals.

A key part of the Crisis Resolution Model of Care will be crisis cafés, a welcoming, non-clinical, safe environment in the style of a café, where people can go at evenings and weekends. These are known as Solace cafés, and a number are now open in different locations.

The HSE's Child and Youth Mental Health Office Action Plan, launched in February 2025, commits to developing an 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 service with Emergency Departments.

A model of care for Liaison Psychiatry has been developed by the HSE and will be launched in Q2 2025.

The Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) Operational Plan reduction in cumulative daily trolley count in 2024 and key focus in the 2025 plan on expansion of all UEC services into evenings and weekends.

I will continue to advance initiatives that will improve the supports available to all those in suicidal crisis.