Mental Health Reform welcomes several positive developments for people accessing and working in mental health services as part of Budget 2026. The Government’s announcement that the total allocation for mental health will reach almost €1.6 billion marks the sixth consecutive year of increased investment and reflects a continued commitment to strengthening Ireland’s mental health system.
While this headline figure is encouraging, Mental Health Reform continues to urge the Government to provide a comprehensive and accessible breakdown of the mental health funding allocation as soon as possible. The detailed figures have not yet been published following changes to the structure of the overall Health Budget. Transparency in budgetary reporting is essential to ensure accountability and enable stakeholders to track progress against national policy commitments.
Nonetheless, as we await these details, Mental Health Reform acknowledges the Government’s commitment to mental health in its first Budget, including the recruitment of 300 additional whole-time-equivalent staff in 2026, representing 9% of total projected health staffing growth.
We strongly welcome the focus on crisis supports and suicide reduction initiatives, including:
- Specialist nursing teams (ANP and CNS) placed in Model 4 hospital Emergency Departments during out-of-hours
- A new crisis response pathway for children and young people, staffed by CAMHS doctors
- Three new Crisis Resolution Teams and associated Solace cafés in Donegal, Kerry, and the Midlands (Tullamore/Westmeath)
- 12 Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurses (SCAN) to support people in distress presenting to GPs
- Greater support for voluntary and community organisations working in the area of suicide prevention.
- Additional funding for Traveller-specific suicide prevention initiatives, co-designed with the Traveller Community. As highlighted in our Pre-Budget Submission, it is essential that there is a continued focus on investing to meet the unique needs and address the barriers to care faced by priority groups in Ireland.
Budget 2026 also includes €6.8 million to fund 31 additional inpatient beds, including:
- 21 CAMHS acute inpatient beds:
- 11 reopening at Linn Dara, Dublin
- 10 new beds at the National Children’s Hospital
- 10 beds at Ireland’s first Intensive Care Rehabilitation Unit (ICRU) in the National Forensic Mental Health Service (Portrane), supported by 30 new staff
We also commend the promised investment in talk therapies, digital mental health, and peer support, as well as increased funding for early intervention and youth mental health – all key priorities outlined in our Pre-Budget Submission.
Mental Health Reform welcomes the €10 million allocation to expand the HSE’s National Clinical Programmes, including:
- A new Dual Diagnosis team and reopening of a Day Programme at Keltoi
- A new Early Intervention in Psychosis team
- Two new CAMHS Mental Health Intellectual Disability teams
- Two new Eating Disorder teams (one CAMHS, one Adult)
- Two new Liaison teams and additional staff for Specialist Mental Health Services for Older People
- Two additional consultants for Perinatal Mental Health Services at the Rotunda and National Maternity Hospital
We are particularly pleased to note the announcement that work is ongoing to develop Ireland’s first Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) for inpatient care – a vital step toward ensuring mothers receive specialised mental health treatment without being separated from their infants.
Despite many positive steps in Budget 2026, Mental Health Reform continue to call on the Government to make progress on the below points:
- Multi-annual funding for the community and voluntary sector to support the vital work these organisations do.
- Provide for a cost of disability payment. It is worth noting that based on the 2021 Cost of Disability Report that the average additional annual cost of living with a mental health difficulty is €13,251 (not adjusted for inflation).
Mental Health Reform wish to acknowledge and thank the Minister of State for Mental Health, Mary Butler, and her team for their continued leadership. Mental health funding has increased by more than 50% since the Minister’s appointment in 2020, and we commend the sustained efforts made to secure this year’s investment in a challenging fiscal environment.
We will continue to call on the Government to build on this progress to meet the significant mental health needs of people across Ireland. In our “Pay the Bill” Pre-Budget Campaign, we called for at least €200 million in additional funding, bringing mental health investment to approximately 6.5% of last year’s health budget. Given the increase in the overall health budget in Budget 2026, an even higher figure is now required to reach that percentage. It is essential that the proportion of the health budget allocated to mental health increases to place Ireland on track to meet the Sláintecare commitment of 10% by 2030.
Mental Health Reform will continue to monitor Budget 2026 developments as further details emerge and will communicate updates to our membership and wider stakeholder network.