Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe has said that the failure to invest in dedicated emergency mental health services is costing people’s lives and it is simply unacceptable.

Speaking during a Sinn Féin motion on emergency mental health supports in the Dáil last night, Teachta Crowe said:

“Emergency mental health services in this State are virtually non-existent. On any given day, more than 100 people will present at an emergency department in extreme distress and there just will not be the services and facilities to support them. Emergency mental health services remain underfunded, understaffed and largely unavailable when people need them most. That failure is costing people’s lives and it is simply unacceptable.

“Among the cases that have come through my office, I remember a young man coming in who produced a bread knife, which was very scary. He rolled up his sleeves to reveal he had been self-harming. There were no supports for that young man, who ended up in the local Garda station on that occasion. He is no longer with us.

“People and their families have been crying out for help and we are powerless to do anything other than to suggest they go to an emergency department, where they can hope to be one of the lucky ones who get help.

“The healthcare professionals working in our hospitals are amazing but they are not miracle workers and cannot magic up services that do not exist. We cannot continue to funnel people in crisis to emergency departments that are not equipped or resourced to help them. We must ensure hospitals like Tallaght hospital have the appropriate complement of specialist professionals.

“We must ringfence investment in mental health crisis assessment and intervention services. Particular attention must be paid to developing an integrated crisis response pathway for children and young people experiencing a mental health crisis.

“Surely people in the darkest moments of their life deserve a calm, safe and professionally staffed environment. Is it too much to ask for dedicated emergency mental health services, 24/7 crisis teams and local supports? We need them now, not in five or ten years.”