Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler TD has announced a landmark increase in staffing and funding for mental health services in Budget 2026, with an unprecedented 300 new whole-time-equivalent positions. This expansion represents 9% of the total health service staffing growth for the coming year and forms part of a record mental health allocation of nearly €1.6 billion, marking the sixth consecutive annual increase and a more than 50% rise since 2020.
The Budget prioritizes crisis supports and suicide prevention, with over €15 million earmarked to improve services for people experiencing mental health emergencies both in hospitals and in community settings. Despite progress in alternative crisis pathways over recent years, emergency departments still manage high volumes of mental health presentations, exceeding 50,000 in 2024.
Funding will establish specialist nursing teams in all Model 4 hospital emergency departments to operate out-of-hours, alongside a new crisis response pathway for children and young people staffed by specialist CAMHS doctors. Three new Crisis Resolution Services with accompanying drop-in ‘Solace’ crisis cafes will be launched in Donegal, Kerry, and the Midlands as alternatives to emergency departments. In addition, 12 new Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurses (SCAN) will support individuals presenting to GP services in acute distress.
The Budget also allocates €1 million to implement a new suicide reduction strategy, informed by public consultation, and increases funding for community and voluntary organisations, including €1.7 million to support suicide prevention initiatives such as those provided by Pieta and €415,000 for Traveller-specific suicide prevention programmes co-designed with the Traveller Community.
Further enhancements include 19 new CAMHS specialist doctors for children and young people’s emergency liaison and out-of-hours care, five additional adult liaison psychiatrists, and an increase in bed capacity for mental health services. This includes opening 21 acute CAMHS inpatient beds, staffing 10 dedicated CAMHS beds at the National Children’s Hospital, reopening 11 CAMHS beds at Linn Dara, and recruiting staff for 10 new Intensive Care Rehabilitation Unit beds at the National Forensic Mental Health Service in Portrane.
These measures aim to fundamentally reshape crisis care, providing community-based alternatives, improving emergency department support, and strengthening the overall capacity of Ireland’s mental health system to respond to acute and long-term needs.
