Emergency Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-27
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Marie Sherlock (LAB), Dublin Central

That means there are significant gaps across the country so we need to see it for the model 3 hospitals also. It is great if it is going to happen next year.
The other key issue I want to raise is in regard to the assertive outreach or on-street mental health teams. Again, it is a really important provision within the community. When we submitted parliamentary questions on this, the replies indicate there are huge gaps across the country. There are no assertive outreach or on-street mental health teams in Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny, south Tipperary, south Dublin, Wicklow, north County Dublin and the north and west of the city. That is simply unacceptable, particularly when we see the great work being done in Sligo-Leitrim and Cork, and by the community access support team in Limerick Garda station. There are models of care there that we need to see rolled out across the country.
We all have not just stories but accounts from families of the devastating consequences of when there is not timely care. Maud Coffey was tragically killed by her partner in 2023. Her case speaks to the failings of emergency mental health care. Her partner had a mental health condition. He had presented looking for help. It was known that he had not been taking his medication for some months. He was suffering from a relapse of schizophrenia and he sought help from the team on the day he murdered Maud. He was given an appointment for the following week, despite it being known that he was not taking his medication for at least three months. Maud's family have been incredible in their fortitude in the midst of this incredible grief, to be able to speak out and talk about it being two lives that were destroyed three years ago and two families torn apart, and that it could have been avoided.
Maud's family spoke so eloquently after the case concluded a number of weeks ago, where they talked about the systematic failings, both for Maud, who lost her life, and also for her former partner, who should have got some sort of attention on the day he went on to kill Maud. Our only hope is that after Maud's loss of life, her legacy should be that those interventions are there when people present. I know many others in the Chamber know of other desperately sad cases.
My plea to the Minister of State this evening is in regard to the 24-7 care. It should be 24-7 care and not part of that, and it should be for the model 3 hospitals as well. Second, with regard to the assertive outreach and on-street mental health teams, it is crucially important that we see that rolled out across the country. Critically, it is to prevent situations such as the killing of Maud and indeed other people who are at risk, such as families, friends, neighbours and other supports who are trying to help people through mental health crises. Their lives are at stake if the health system does not step up to the mark.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-27/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:01+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-27