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Over 1.5k people presenting with suicidal ideation left A&E's while waiting to be seen, new figures reveal

A man whose brother died by suicide just hours after presenting to A&E is calling for dedicated mental health emergency departments

[Joe and Adam Loughnane]

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Joe and Adam Loughnane

A man whose brother died by suicide just hours after presenting to A&E is calling for dedicated mental health emergency departments to be prioritised in the budget.

Joe Loughnane is urging the government to finance these facilities in Budget 2027 as new figures reveal the stark reality of mental health crises in this country.

In 2024, 1,583 people who presented to an A&E with suicide-related ideation or had been self-harming left before they were assessed. The figures were obtained by Sinn Fins health spokesperson David Cullinane, who said they demonstrate a significant level of demand on Irelands emergency departments.

In February 2025, Joes brother Adam Loughnane died by suicide after presenting at University Hospital Galways A&E department. Just two hours before his body was found in the River Corrib, the 34-year-old was sitting in the emergency department waiting room.

Since then Joe has been campaigning to ensure this doesnt happen to anyone else, and believes dedicated A&Es for those experiencing a mental health crisis would give them a better chance.

The Galway man said it is poignant that these new figures were released a day after the UK Government announced the launch of 59 new mental health emergency departments.

Joe said: This is the exact thing I have been calling for since Adams death with the Adams protocol petition, we need a dedicated space and these (figures) highlight that even more.

Its further evidence that there is a need for a separate dedicated space for people in a mental health crisis. There is a solution to this and we are providing a solution to the government, and they need to take it up in the upcoming budget.

[Adam Loughnane]

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Adam Loughnane

In 2024, 19,177 people involved with self-harming or suicidal ideation presented to emergency departments across the country. Of these, 2,779 resulted in admission to an approved mental health centre and 14,522 were referred to other services following assessment.

However, when providing these figures to Mr Cullinane, the HSE said data on the total number of people presenting to A&Es with a mental health crisis is not available.

It was also unable to provide data on how many were admitted, how many were referred to other services, or how many left before being seen or discharged.

The Sinn Fin TD has criticised this, saying these significant gaps in national data need to be addressed. He added: The information available is limited to presentations involving self-harm and suicide-related ideation.

This means we still do not have a full and comprehensive picture of the number of people arriving at emergency departments in mental health crisis, or what happens to them after they arrive.

Without that information, it is much harder to understand the scale of demand, identify gaps in care and plan the services that people experiencing a mental health crisis need.

The government and HSE must address these information gaps alongside strengthening community and crisis mental health services so that people can access appropriate care as quickly as possible.

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