Minister for Mental Health, Mary Butler TD has announced the commencement of recruitment for ten specialist mental health nursing teams that will strengthen crisis supports out-of-hours in emergency departments across the country. Recruitment is now progressing, with the Health Service Executive (HSE) and hospital management working to have the new teams operational as soon as possible.

The new teams form part of a wider programme of mental health crisis service reform being delivered under national policiesSharing the Vision and Connecting for Life (2026–2035). Minister Butler secured more than €15 million in dedicated funding for crisis supports and targeted suicide prevention measures in Budget 2026, including €4 million for community-based teams and services and €2.8 million to establish specialist out-of-hours mental health crisis nursing teams in all Model 4 hospitals, and Mercy University Hospital, Cork.

The teams, comprising Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) and Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs), will provide specialist support to people presenting to emergency departments in mental health crisis. The posts are being introduced in response to evidence that many self-harm and suicidal ideation presentations occur during the evening and overnight hours, when additional specialist support is needed.

The following hospitals will receive a new team of four staff – two AANPs and two CNSs:

Recruitment is now underway across all ten hospitals, while local planning and implementation work is progressing simultaneously to ensure the services can be introduced as quickly as possible once recruitment is complete.

“When someone comes to an emergency department in the midst of a mental health crisis, they need timely, compassionate and specialist support. These new nursing teams will help ensure that people experiencing severe distress, self-harm or suicidal thoughts can access the care they need, when they need it most.”

“Operating out-of-hours, the teams will support frontline hospital staff in responding to people who present in crisis. While we are directing the majority of our investment towards community-based alternatives to emergency departments, we know from both evidence and experience that hospitals must also be equipped to provide a more effective and compassionate response to people in acute mental distress.”

“Improving crisis mental health services is one of my key priorities for 2026. We are investing across the entire crisis care pathway, including these new specialist nursing teams, new community-based Crisis Resolution Teams, additional Crisis or ‘Solace’ Cafés, and six new Suicide Crisis Assessment Nursing teams to support GPs in the community. Our goal is to ensure that people experiencing a mental health crisis can access support quickly, compassionately and as close to home as possible.”