Mental Health Reform welcomes the allocation of an additional €108m for mental health services in Budget 2027. This brings the overall mental health budget to more than €1.65bn, representing a 7% increase on 2026.
Róisín Clarke, Transitional CEO, Mental Health Reform commented: “Mental health is one of the greatest public health challenges facing Ireland today. We need increased investment and a coordinated cross-government response to address the wider factors affecting mental health in our communities.
We welcome the investment of an additional €108M for mental health, which will help to improve access to mental health services. This funding is needed to enhance outcomes for children and young people, marginalised groups and people with complex mental health needs.
Mental Health Reform would like to acknowledge and thank the Minister of State for Mental Health, Mary Butler, and her team for their continued leadership and commitment to mental health.”
Budget 2027 will prioritise the following measures:
- Six additional out-of-hours ‘Solace’ peer-support cafés in Carlow, Louth, Wexford, North Tipperary, and Dublin
- Two new crisis resolution teams and 24 additional Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurses
- €300,000 secured for the recruitment of an Assistant Director in the HSE to drive mental health capital funding
- Increased resourcing for early intervention, youth mental health services and 20 additional specialist clinicians to improve ADHD pathways in CAMHS
- Recruitment of 20 posts across mental health services for adults and children with intellectual disabilities
- 33,000 additional free counselling sessions for men, young people and the LGBTQ+ community.
- €1M for targeted suicide prevention initiatives to support the Traveller community
- Extension of patient advocacy services to mental health settings
Róisín Clarke continued: “We welcome funding for the expansion of solace cafés alongside additional Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurses and crisis resolution teams. Community-based crisis supports are critical to reduce emergency department presentations and support people in distress to access timely, compassionate care close to home.
Mental Health Reform welcomes the commitment to recruit an Assistant Director within the HSE to drive mental health capital investment. This is an important step to strengthen accountability and oversight of mental health infrastructure. This is particularly crucial given the urgent need to establish a dedicated Mother and Baby Mental Health unit for people with perinatal mental health difficulties.
In addition, we welcome investment in youth mental health including, the expansion of community-based services and the recruitment of specialist clinicians in CAMHS. These measures are needed to reduce lengthy waiting lists and respond to the growing complexity of need among children and young people. The additional funding for counselling for men, young people and the LGBTQ+ community is also very positive.
It is disappointing that Budget 2027 has not delivered multi-annual funding for the voluntary and community mental health sector. This remains a priority for Mental Health Reform and our members who provide essential support to thousands of people. Sustainable, multi-annual funding is needed to protect these services, retain skilled staff and respond to growing demand.
While we welcome much progress, mental health still accounts for just 6.05% of the overall health budget. Mental Health Reform called for this to increase to at least 7% in Budget 2027 to create a clear funding pathway to reach the Sláintecare commitment of 10% by 2030. Almost a decade after Sláintecare was published, mental health funding remains significantly below that ambition.
Mental Health Reform will continue to advocate for accessible mental health services for all who need them. We look forward to continuing our engagement with Minister Butler and our members to ensure that mental health remains a national priority so that everyone can access the support they need, when and where they need it.”
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Media contact: Niamh Fahy – nfahy@mentalhealthreform.ie / 086 171 1920
About Mental Health Reform
Mental Health Reform is Ireland’s leading national coalition on mental health. With over 80 member organisations and thousands of supporters, we are the unifying voice campaigning for progressive reform of mental health services and supports in Ireland.
Visit www.mentalhealthreform.ie for more details.