Government cut mental health spend amid 'unprecedented demand' for services, charities say

Mental Health Reform advocates and members presented their pre-budget submission on Tuesday, calling for an increase in spending on mental health. Picture: Conor McCabe Photography.


The Government is spending little over half the amount on mental health it has committed to, according to a pre-budget submission.

This is at a time of rising demand and increasing population, Mental Health Reform said.

The coalition of 85 charities is calling on the Government to allocate at least an additional €120m in Budget 2025.

It said €40m of this was just to maintain existing levels of service, with €80m going on the development of new mental health services.

The charity said since 2020, the percentage of the overall health budget allocated to mental health has decreased by 6% to 5.6%.

It said the Government had “failed” to meet its commitment — set out in Sláintecare — to grow the mental health spend to 10% of the health budget by 2025.

“Funding needs to significantly increase,” Mental Health Reform policy and advocacy coordinator Suzanna Weedle said at the launch. 

“The population is set to increase by 6% between now and 2030.” 

She said the six HSE national clinical programmes — ADHD, Dual Diagnosis, Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP), Eating Disorders, Perinatal Mental Health and Self Harm/Suicide — were chronically underfunded.

She said Dual Diagnosis was supposed to have 16 teams, but only had four, that EIP was supposed to have 24 sites, but only had six, while Eating Disorders was supposed to have 16 teams, but only had 11.

The submission is urging the Government to increase the mental health spend from 5.6% to 6% for 2025, saying this was the “minimum amount” required.

“In the four years since the pandemic, there has been a meagre increase in mental health funding despite an unprecedented demand for mental health care,” the submission said.

“Low levels of investment are leading to ongoing delays in the development of new services, geographical disparities in the availability of treatment, and unacceptable waiting lists.” 

It added: “In 2023, there were over 23,870 referrals to Camhs, representing a 37% increase from 2020.” 

The €80m on new funding would go to:

• €25m to support the delivery of mental health services in the voluntary and community mental health sector, including prevention and early intervention;
• €40m on the implementation of the national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision, including a targeted strategic capital investment programme for inpatient mental health units;
• €10m to invest in community-based youth mental health programmes in the voluntary and community sector, fully resource the HSE Child and Youth Mental Health Office and implement the recommendations in the Mental Health Commission’s 2023 Independent Review of Camhs;
• €5m to reform the Mental Health Act 2001 and to fund a national independent advocacy service for mental health.

Speaking at the launch, child and adolescent psychiatrist Michelle Clifford, clinical lead at the National Clinical Programme for Eating Disorders, said while a lot had been done since 2018, more funding and investment was “definitely required”.

She said there were 11 teams — six adult and five child – and that a 12th team was not yet operational as they were waiting on funding.

She said referrals were 150% higher than in 2019 and two-thirds were children under 18.

She said there had been an increase in referrals of children aged 10-14.