2026-01-22

9. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the status of a new psychiatric unit at Cavan General Hospital; the timeframe within which it is expected to be delivered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4900/26]

I ask the Minister of State to give us an update on the status of the new acute mental health unit at Cavan hospital and, more importantly, the timeframe in which the unit will be completed and delivered.

I thank the Deputy for his question. I am really ambitious for transforming the mental health capital estate over the next three, five and ten years. I currently finalising a ten-year capital plan for mental health, which will guide our investment programme in mental health infrastructure. This plan is backed up by national development plan funding of up to €500 million for the next five years to the end of 2030. I am working with each of the regional executive officers, REOs, the national mental health office and the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to ensure we grasp this opportunity to embark on a capital programme that will see record levels of investment. We will be investing in acute facilities, which the Deputy just referenced, community facilities, community residences and national priorities including additional adult eating disorder beds and the first perinatal mother and baby mental health unit on the island of Ireland. The HSE capital plan for 2026 is being finalised and will be announced in the coming weeks. I will then also publish the longer-term vision for capital projects in mental health. I am not in a position to be able to update the Deputy in relation to that. As I said, we are working on finalising the capital plan. All details in relation to any new developments will become apparent there. However, one of the areas I will be specifically focusing on is the Mental Health Bill 2024, which is currently going through the Dáil, and for which I will be in the Seanad later today. There is going to be a change in relation to community residences for those with enduring mental health conditions who live in communities. We will have new governance and oversight in relation to those facilities. I will be putting a focus on them in the capital plan, but also with regard to areas that do not have any mental health inpatient beds. There are specific areas. We will look at maybe providing a crisis house in those particular areas. We will have news in the next few weeks. I hope the Deputy understands why I am not able to give that detail this morning.

I am a bit taken aback, to be quite honest. The Government and the HSE have given a commitment that there will be a new acute mental health unit - a psychiatric unit - on the grounds of Cavan hospital. Previously, a date of 2030 had been provided. I hoped that the Minister of State would be able to announce today that the preliminary processes had been advanced so that we could reach that. The Minister of State will know that previous Mental Health Commission reports in respect of this unit have been quite damning. That is no reflection on the staff within the ward who I am sure do a huge amount of work. However, this is a unit that is on the lower ground floor, which says all we need to know, essentially, about how mental health has been treated up to this point. I ask the Minister of State to ensure that greater clarity is given. Is this a priority or not? Can we be given an assurance that this unit will be delivered quickly?

As I said, the national capital plan for mental health is being finalised. The Deputy could ask me the exact same question about Waterford, where I am from, because we are in the exact same predicament as Cavan. He could ask me about the Jonathan Swift Clinic, the Lakeview unit in Kildare, Roscommon, the Mater Hospital or the St. Michael's unit in Cork. There is a myriad of various capital plans that are under consideration at the moment. I am not going to pre-empt the capital plan. I am not going to pre-empt it for my own area or any area. Suffice to say, however, that a huge amount of work is being done. Additional funding has been secured. It is the most funding ever in relation to capital infrastructure for mental health. I want to see many facilities being rolled out in parallel with each other the length and breadth of the country. I am very keen to address postcode lottery issues and geographical issues. Regardless of where people live in the country, they should be entitled to the best facilities possible if they have a mental health condition.

I will explain what I do not understand. I have a letter from the HSE, dated last July, which states that the HSE capital plan includes this provision and that the HSE is looking at appointing the design team. Has that happened or not? Is the Minister of State saying that the last year has basically been wasted in terms of moving this project forward? Will there now be a new appraisal of whether this project enters the capital plan at all? Along with Senator Tully, I recently met the mother of a young man who spent time in this unit in Cavan hospital and tragically, very shortly after leaving, he died by suicide. It was a very tragic case. This woman has made it her life's mission to ensure that future young people get a better service than she feels her son did. She believes that a new acute mental health service at Cavan hospital - a stand-alone facility above ground level, which should not be too much to ask - must be delivered as quickly as possible. The Minister of State can cite all the other failures in other parts of the country, but I and the people of Cavan and Monaghan and beyond need to know whether this is a commitment and a priority. When will it actually be delivered?

The Deputy is quoting from the capital plan from 2025. I am currently finalising the capital plan for mental health for 2026. It will be published very soon, and the Deputy will see the details. Once a proposal is on the capital plan, it is not going to be removed from the capital plan. I am not in a position-----

Is it going to be delivered?

It is not a question-and-answer session. I am not in a position to give the Deputy that information at the moment.

The Minister of State has not answered the question I asked.

On 1 September last year - I say this every opportunity I get - I launched free counselling supports for men across the country. Four out of every five suicides in Ireland are men, notwithstanding that we have seen a reduction in the numbers, thankfully. Every single suicide has a profound impact on people. That particular mother lost her son. I speak every chance I get about yourmentalhealth.ie/men and free counselling supports. Men can refer themselves to it. If all Deputies' constituency offices could share that news and that website, it would be very helpful.

It is an acute care unit that is needed.