Labour’s Health Spokesperson Marie Sherlock accused the government of outsourcing mental health care to the United Kindgdom.
Figures released to the Dublin Central TD by the HSE have revealed that Ireland is spending almost €80 million annually on outsourcing mental health care – with growing reliance on services in the UK and the private sector.
To date in 2025, €7.4 million has been spent on private beds, while €2.5 million has been spent on services in the UK.
In this context, the figure applies to patients with multi-axial disorders, severe eating disorders and children “for whom the High Court determines their placement.”
“The alarming figures released to me by the HSE on the drastic increase in spending on private provision of mental health care are a clear indictment of our public mental health services. The State is increasingly relying on private providers to deliver care that should be provided directly through the public system,” she said.
Sherlock noted that in 2018, the figure at year-end was €46 million and has now nearly doubled.
“This level of outsourcing is simply unsustainable and reflects deep structural failings in the public system.”
Sherlock expressed concern with the reliance of UK mental health services to combat the issue.
“We spent nothing on care in the UK in 2018 and 2019, but that figure has now exploded to almost €13 million in 2024 which is double what was spent in 2023.”
“We now have a situation where Irish patients are being sent across the Irish Sea, far from their homes, and support networks, because we cannot provide appropriate care here. That is completely unacceptable,” she said.
“The HSE has confirmed that this outsourcing is driven by an inability to meet patient needs within our own services. They are struggling to provide secure settings for children, care for people with multi-axial disorders, and specialist services for severe eating disorders. This is a failure of planning, investment, and ultimately, leadership.”
Sherlock noted that patients do get some form of care under this system, but for Sherlock, the principle of the government adding private elements to what should be a State-run healthcare service is problematic.
“That €93 million should be going towards building our own capacity – hiring more staff, opening more beds, and delivering care locally. Instead, we are writing cheques to private providers – many of whom are also employing the nurses and clinicians we trained in our public system,” she said.
“I know from speaking with frontline staff that our public mental health services are buckling under the pressure of poor staffing levels. Many are leaving for the private sector where pay and conditions are better – and then the HSE ends up paying those same providers to deliver care. It’s a bizarre and wasteful cycle.”
“We urgently need a reset. The HSE must address these runaway costs and shift its focus to building up local, public mental health services. That means investing in specialist units, increasing the number of funded posts, and ensuring fair pay and decent working conditions for staff.
“We in Labour are calling on the HSE to urgently act to reduce dependence on private providers, invest in public capacity, and increase funded posts across the public mental health system.