Mental health crisis team trial set to finally begin in Limerick
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Ireland’s first crisis intervention team — comprising gardaí, psychiatric nurses and social workers — is to begin operation next month.
The pilot is aimed at providing a better intervention to individuals experiencing mental health crises and potentially posing a risk to themselves or to others.
Frontline gardaí, on their own, are the first and, often, only responders available to deal with these traumatic and potentially dangerous situations.
The trial — based in Limerick – was supposed to be operational more than two years ago but has been hit by delays, including HSE staffing issues.
As a result, the actual start date of the Community Access Support Team (Cast) been unclear until now.
A joint Garda-health team has been recommended by various committees and commissions, in particular the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, which reported in September 2018.
The pilot, made up of seven people, will work out of Henry Street Garda Station and provide both a crisis response service and a community support service.
HSE correspondence, seen by the , confirms “launch of the pilot will be this October” with the exact date to be decided.
It said: “Following a number of meetings and developments with the Department of Justice and the Department of Health, three HSE posts have received approval that will now enable implementation of the Cast pilot project here in Limerick.”
Those involved in Cast have, or still are, going through training across six areas, including: Mental health first aid, understanding self-harm, suicide awareness, substance misuse, social inclusion and similar models.
The team is a joint pilot by gardaí and the Mental Health Service HSE Mid-West.
The HSE said the initiative would have two projects:
- Crisis Response — to respond to relevant 999 calls that have been triaged, with the pilot working “day and out of hours”, comprising trained gardaí and an assigned clinical nurse specialist and other team members;
- Community Support Forum — a multi-agency support forum in Limerick with a case management function for about 20 adults, which will carry out "community follow-ups and case management of complex cases".
The Cast team comprises seven members: one clinical nurse specialist; one social worker; social work practitioner; one sergeant, two gardaí and one garda staff.
The HSE said Cast was based on “significant international evidence and experience” demonstrating improved outcomes for adults requiring the intervention of a policing response at times of mental health crisis or situational trauma.
It said there hads been extensive engagement between gardaí, HSE, crisis intervention team members in other jurisdictions, and those who have engaging with gardaí at times of mental health crisis.
It said it was hoped the pilot would help reduce emergency department admissions, provide community care, reduce the number of arrests under the Mental Health Act 2001 and improve officers’ confidence and skills in responding to people with mental illness.
This would hopefully increase diversion away from the criminal justice system — in line with the findings of a high level taskforce in September 2022.