Wexford to Get 10-Bed Specialist Community Mental Health Unit as Ministerial Priority

Wexford is set to benefit from a new 10-bed Specialist Community Mental Health Unit, officially included as a Ministerial Priority in the Health Capital Plan 2026.

Fine Gael Senator Cathal Byrne has welcomed the decision, which follows years of campaigning for improved mental health services in the region.

Senator Byrne, who most recently raised the issue with Tánaiste Simon Harris during his visit to Wexford General Hospital earlier this month, expressed his satisfaction at seeing the proposal officially acknowledged in the Government's capital plan.

“This is the result of ongoing efforts at the highest level to ensure that Wexford has the necessary mental health services in place,” Senator Byrne said. He credited his consistent lobbying with Ministers Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Mary Butler, as well as the tireless campaigning by local figures like Cllr Ray Shannon, for making the project a reality.

Byrne emphasized that while this announcement is a critical first step, it marks the beginning of the process, and further advocacy will be needed to ensure the timely delivery of the unit for Wexford residents. "Now that we have this commitment in writing, we will continue to push for the delivery of this essential service," he concluded.

Also welcoming the news this morning was Wexford TD James Browne. In a statement to South East Radio News he said,

"As a former spokesperson for Mental Health, I campaigned tirelessly for a unit to be embedded in the work by the HSE in Wexford. It’s absolutely essential. Now working closely on this with Minister Mary Butler, I have secured ministerial commitment in the new HSE capital plan to include a 10 bed unit for Wexford. I will now push for this to be progressed at pace - because we cannot wait much longer and I have impressed the matter as badly needed for the county at the highest level. “The commitment at this stage is for a ten bed specialist community mental health unit for Wexford, but I will be pressing for the absolute best care and the most beds as suitable to our needs here at the highest levels to be secured and I will leave no stone unturned in this, let me be very clear. “This is of huge personal importance to me, and so many families all across the county. Mental health care is something that requires sensitive, considered and specialist support and Wexford deserves that available here as near to people as is possible, and quickly under the course of this capital plan. I am determined that it is delivered, and my work so far has ensured it gets the attention it needs. There will be no let up”