Tuesday 10th February 2026. The Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) said today that RTE’s Primetime Investigates programmes on the Ireland’s psychiatric services highlight the need for meaningful action to address the decades‑long underfunding of Ireland’s mental health services and the deeply concerning conditions faced by individuals with severe mental illness in Irish prisons.
Commenting on the Primetime programmes, Peter Hughes, PNA General Secretary, said for far too long, mental health has been treated as the poor relation within the Irish healthcare system.
"Despite repeated commitments, national strategies, and public assurances, investment in psychiatric services continues to fall dramatically short of what is required to meet growing demands for services. Psychiatric nurses across the country witness daily the consequences of this underfunding, inadequate staffing levels, long waiting lists for essential CAMHS services and community supports, and a system that relies all too often on crisis management.”
“In the case of our prison system, this underinvestment has created an unacceptable situation where Irish prisons are now housing a growing number of individuals whose primary need for access to psychiatric services are not being met.
“PNA has repeatedly highlighted that prisons are not, and never have been, appropriate environments for people experiencing acute mental illness.”
“Vision for Change recommended the building of Intensive Care Rehabilitation Units (ICRUs) across the country to cater for those persons with enduring mental illness. Twenty years later none of them have been provided.”
“It is PNA position that the current situation is not inevitable; it is the direct result of policy choices. Ireland continues to lag behind international norms for mental health funding, and the consequences are visible in every corner of the service—from CAMHS to adult care, rehabilitation, and forensic services.
We call on the Government and the HSE to take immediate, concrete steps, including:
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Substantial and sustained investment to bring mental health funding in line with international best practice.
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Expansion of specialist services. While it is acknowledged that there have been positive developments over the past few years in the roll out of clinical care programmes it is imperative that the opening of Intensive Care Rehabilitation Units is prioritised.
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Recruitment and retention initiatives to address the critical shortage of psychiatric nurses.
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A comprehensive review of mental health care in Irish prisons.
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Full implementation of existing national mental health strategies as set out in Vision for Change and Sharing the Vision, backed by ring‑fenced funding and transparent delivery and accountability mechanisms.
Concluding, Mr Hughes said “The PNA stands with our members, our patients, and their families in demanding a mental health system that reflects the dignity, rights, and needs of the people it serves.
Media Contact: Derek Cunningham 086-2430535
