The reality is those lives continue to be lost because of the State's failure to care for people experiencing a mental health crisis. We know that each year, 50,000 people try to access mental health services for the first time through hospital emergency departments. This is not an appropriate setting for people who are in severe mental distress at their most vulnerable. I think the Minister of State has to accept that. The Mental Health Commission report has confirmed that general emergency departments are failing people in mental health crisis every day. That report stated that mental health patients in both Galway hospitals - UHG and Portiuncula - are left waiting for prolonged periods in the emergency departments. In Galway, there have sadly been multiple instances of people taking their own lives after presenting at a hospital emergency department. I acknowledge the work of Joe Loughnane, who sadly lost his brother Adam in these circumstances almost one year ago. Following the tragic death of his brother, Joe has campaigned relentlessly for the establishment of specific mental health accident and emergency departments and has gathered over 20,000 signatures to his petition calling for this. This motion is calling for dedicated mental health emergency rooms staffed by specialist professionals separate from the chaos of general hospital emergency departments and real investment in community-based crisis care so that timely and safe mental health support is available to everybody who needs it. The NHS in Britain has introduced mental health emergency departments. It can be done here and it will save lives. We have to stop sending people experiencing a crisis to inappropriate settings like overcrowded accident and emergency departments. People at their most vulnerable deserve 24/7 urgent crisis care in dedicated facilities so this is a hugely important motion and one that I call on Government to support but crucially to act on as well.

Sentiment score: -0.39