Urgent call for community access support team for mental health to be trialed in Limerick

SINNFéin TD Maurice Quinlivan is urging the Government to start a community access support team trial in the region immediately.

He raised the issue in the Dáil, saying the team’s work is vital, as they will be involved in de-escalating mental health issues outside of normal office hours.

The team is to work on the basis of a combined effort from staff in the HSE, gardaí and ambulance service.

The Sinn Féin Deputy commented: “As it stands in Limerick, the vast majority of out of hours interventions with those in need of mental health support is provided by volunteers. It is Limerick Mental Health Association and other volunteers such as those in the Haven hub and others that try and fill the gap. And then we have the last line of defence, when there are no other services with Limerick Suicide Watch and Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention who both do regular patrols on the riverside in Limerick.”

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He pointed out that this team was meant to be in place by the last quarter of 2022, but has been delayed and that this is “beyond disappointing.”

“It is a further example of how this government continuously fails people in the Mid-West when it comes to accessing medical support. We have a trolley crisis that continues unabated, huge wait times at the major hospital, University Hospital Limerick and we have a failure to urgently address the challenge of mental health, especially out of office times when support is needed,” he said