Minister wants dedicated mental health phoneline by end of year

A dedicated mental health phoneline similar to the 999 system is to be established by the end of the year, Fine Gael TD Jim Daly has promised.

The minister of state for mental health has committed to establishing a single phone number that would act as the access point into mental health services.

It comes as a damning report published by the all-party Oireachtas committee on the future of mental health care highlighted chronic staff shortages and waiting lists, over-reliance on medicating patients and a failure to provide services at night.