Press Release: Wednesday 9 April 2025
Minister for Mental Health launches Sharing the Vision: A Mental Health Policy for Everyone Implementation Plan 2025 – 2027
- Taoiseach and Minister for Mental Health outline government ambition for mental health at National Mental Health Policy Conference
- Sharing the Vision prioritises mental health promotion and prevention and early intervention, in addition to specialist mental health service delivery
Taoiseach, Micheál Martin T.D., and Minister for Mental Health and Government Chief Whip, Mary Butler T.D., have today launched Sharing the Vision: A Mental Health Policy for Everyone Implementation Plan 2025 – 2027 at the second National Mental Health Policy Conference at Dublin Castle.
Speaking at the event, Minister Butler emphasised the Government’s commitment to supporting Sharing the Vision implementation through continued investment in mental health services and supports, from mental health promotion, to prevention, early intervention and acute specialist services.
Actions committed to over the 3-year implementation plan include:
- The Mental Health Bill 2024 will be enacted, thereby providing a person-centred and robust framework within which mental health services will be delivered and regulated.
- A ten-year mental health capital plan will be developed to ensure a fit for purpose physical infrastructure that is trauma informed.
- A national Model of Care for child and youth mental health services will be published and a new Single Point of Access will be introduced for better integration and seamless access and transition between services.
- Counselling in Primary Care (CiPC) will have increased capacity and a clear path to universal access to counselling will be designed
- The National Autism Protocol will be rolled out to ensure children and young people with autism have access to assessment and early intervention.
- People with mental health difficulties will be supported to access independent housing, including through employment of housing coordinators in all Health Regions.
- Access to social prescribing will be expanded, including by broadening scope to include targeted supports for young people.
- There will be a phased roll-out of Electronic Health Records (EHR) across mental health services
- An evidence-informed model for measuring policy outcomes will be implemented, adopting a phased approach.
The implementation plan will also see the delivery of three separate transformation programmes to develop an overarching operating framework for mental health, to design an operating guideline for general adult community mental health teams, and to fully implement the recently published Child & Youth Mental Health Action Plan.
Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, said:
“Investing in, and modernising, mental health services is a key commitment of our Programme for Government. This commitment is fully reflected in the Sharing The Vision implementation plan being launched by Minister Mary Butler today.
“This government is determined to increase numbers of mental health staff through national and international recruitment campaigns, expand the number of training places for key mental health professionals, and develop a 10-year infrastructure plan for mental health.
“I am confident that we can build on the significant progress already achieved to deliver the vital improvements to mental health services and supports promised in Sharing the Vision.”
Opening the Conference, Minister Butler, said:
“I am proud to launch the new Sharing the Vision Implementation Plan 2025 -2027 today, which is a comprehensive and ambitious plan to guide mental health policy delivery for the next three years.
“Budget 2025 saw another record budget for mental health, for the fourth year in a row, totalling €1.5 billion, meaning that since Sharing the Vision launched in 2020, mental health service funding has increased by over 44%.
“I firmly believe that mental health is everyone’s business and everyone’s responsibility. Mental health is something which cuts across all aspects of life. That is why Sharing the Vision is a whole-of-government policy, and that is why I stand before you today to reiterate the vital message that: There is no health without mental health.”
Sharing the Vision: a Mental Health Policy for Everyone places mental health policy centrally in the delivery of Irish healthcare. The 2025 – 2027 plan is the second Implementation Plan published for the policy and contains detailed action plans for delivering all 100 of its recommendations over the next three-year period.
Health Service Executive CEO Bernard Gloster, said:
“We know that we can do much to improve the mental health challenges for many people by focusing on early intervention and providing support in the community. We need to understand that people, when they do experience mental health issues, need not just a mental health service so integrating all health services is vital.
“Sharing the Vision is closely aligned with Sláintecare and needs to remain front and centre in the broader healthcare reform programme. Significant progress has been achieved to date from the promotion of positive mental health at the prevention end to highly specialist mental health services on the response end.
“Good examples of improvements can be seen in Social Prescribing supports being now available in every county in Ireland promoting mental health and social connectedness while investment in clinical programmes relating to specialist areas such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Eating Disorders, Early Intervention in Psychosis, and Dual Diagnosis continues.
“Those of us who recall previous policy frameworks for mental health know that implementation is critical. Sharing the Vision is a real example of how services across the HSE are working together to prioritise person centred care for everyone, right across the lifespan. We are committed to this new implementation plan and ensuring that the values and aims within our national policy become practice. I am very conscious that for many people they still experience challenges and navigating services isn’t always easy. We are committed to working with and including patients and service users as we work through this plan.”
Year-on-year funding for mental health services has increased by €143.5 million, from €1.338 billion in Budget 2024 to nearly €1.5 billion in 2025. This represents an increase of 10.7% in areas including:
- €5.7 million has been allocated to expansion and enhancement of the national clinical programmes (NCP), including four new teams to complete the rollout of the NCP in Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as new teams for Eating Disorders, Dual Diagnosis, and Early Intervention in Psychosis.
- €2 million to support the expansion of counselling in primary care, with a particular focus on counselling supports for men.
- €365,000 for Traveller mental health initiatives, including the expansion of the National Traveller Counselling Service, enhancement of both the NCP for Self-Harm and Suicide Related Ideation and the suicide bereavement liaison service with culturally sensitive supports for Travellers, as well as a research project exploring the mental health needs of the Roma community.
A wide range of stakeholders will take part in today’s conference, including national and international experts in mental health policy and service delivery, as well as political leaders, those with lived and living experience expertise, and voluntary and community sector partners.