Mental Health Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-22
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Liam Quaide (SD), Cork East

The lack of adequate psychology staffing in older adult mental health teams represents a failure to meet the complexity of mental health needs of people in later life. It is also a failure by Government to meet wider obligations including under the UNCRPD, which emphasises access to appropriate mental health supports across the lifespan and the right to live in one's community with autonomy. Psychologists play a unique role in later life services supporting people to cope with ageing, loss, disability and cognitive decline. They work with families and carers reducing distress and behavioural symptoms, and helping people to remain autonomous for long as possible. My question is simple: what concrete steps is the Department taking to ensure that older adult mental health teams are staffed to the benchmarks that were established in 2006? Unfortunately Sharing the Vision did not include the same kinds of benchmarks, but that is the least we can expect.
I hope the Minister of State will direct some criticism back to the HSE that it could not provide that basic information today. All it would take is an email to middle management to find that out.

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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