Mental Health Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-22
============================================================

Liam Quaide (SD), Cork East

I thank the Minister of State for following up that data. I do not doubt her bona fides in this area at all but it is not credible that the HSE would not have that data to hand. It is very basic. The importance of psychology as a core part of older adult mental health teams is long established Government policy. A Vision for Change in 2006 was explicit that older adult mental health services must be delivered through fully resourced multidisciplinary teams with psychology as a core part. That principle was reaffirmed in Sharing the Vision, which again recognised the essential role of psychology assessment and intervention for older adults. The failure to meet a benchmark that is 20 years old leaves older adults more reliant on medication and more at risk of physical health issues associated with declining mental health.
The Mental Health Commission's latest annual electroconvulsive therapy activity report, which shows that in 2024 older adults formed a significant part of the population receiving ECT and the average age of a person receiving it has increased to 64, is also of great concern. There is also a well-established increased risk of unnecessary A and E admissions in older adults who are experiencing mental health difficulties. If we are serious about dignity, autonomy and quality of care for older adults, psychology cannot be seen as an optional add-on or a threadbare support.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-22/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:32+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-22