Minister for Mental Health launches new Model of Care for Consultation Liaison Psychiatry
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From: Department of Health
- Published on: 29 May 2025
- Last updated on: 29 May 2025
The Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler has today launched the new national Model of Care for Consultation Liaison Psychiatry, a comprehensive framework to guide the development of Liaison Psychiatry services in our hospitals.
Liaison psychiatry, also known as consultation liaison psychiatry (CLP) provides specialist mental health input in emergency departments and general hospital wards. Liaison Psychiatry plays a critical role in supporting people who present with both physical and mental health needs, particularly people who may present with eating disorders, self-harm and suicidal ideation.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Butler said:
"This Model of Care is an important milestone in our national Mental Health reform journey. It ensures people who need mental health support while in hospital are treated with the same urgency, dignity and clinical excellence as those presenting with physical illness. It is a practical and meaningful expression of the health service’s commitment to integrated person-centred care in line with the goals of our national mental health policy Sharing the Vision.
"Our Liaison Psychiatry staff provide an essential service to people who have complex and often emergency care needs, working without waiting lists and without barriers to serve the patients who need them. There are many benefits from improved Liaison Psychiatry in our hospitals, including reduced distress and increased patient satisfaction, less time spent in hospital and improved quality of life, more support for carers and staff, and more timely links with community based mental health services."
The Model of Care (MoC) was developed jointly by the Faculty of Liaison Psychiatry, the College of Psychiatry of Ireland and the Health Service Executive. Its development was guided by recommendation 60 of Sharing the Vision (2020) “continued expansion of Liaison Mental Health Services for all age groups should take place in the context of an integrated Liaison Mental Health Model of Care”.
A national working group was established to progress this work, involving key stakeholders and drawing on national and international best practice.
A phased implementation approach will now be developed by the HSE, aligned with service readiness and workforce planning, to support a sustainable and coordinated roll-out of the Model of Care.
Minister Butler concluded:
"These services represent some of the busiest and most high-risk areas within Mental Health, and I am currently working hard to develop real alternatives to Emergency Departments (EDs) for people in mental health crisis. However, we know that the EDs will always have some level of mental health presentations, and we need faster and better co-ordinated responses for people when they do present. This Model of Care is a key part of our drive to improve the ED experience for people presenting with a mental health crisis."
Notes
To develop the Model of Care for Consultation Liaison Psychiatry (CLP), a national scoping exercise was undertaken to provide the first comprehensive mapping of liaison mental health services in Ireland.
The findings demonstrated significant provision and resourcing across sites, but also highlighted key gaps in relation to staffing, administration support, and data infrastructure. It also underlined the need for a national, standardised model to guide future development, which the new Model of Care now provides.
The Model of Care outlines the key components of CLP services for Model 3 and Model 4 hospitals across the lifespan, focusing on the following key areas:
- Definition and Scope – Clarifies the role of CLP services and the benefits they offer to patients within acute hospital settings.
- Service Structure and Resourcing – Details recommended staffing levels and multidisciplinary team requirements to ensure safe, effective service delivery.
- Facilities and Infrastructure – Identifies essential physical space, and IT infrastructure needed to support the service.
- Integration and System Alignment – Emphasises integration with existing models of care (for example: perinatal mental health, psycho-oncology, and self-harm), as well as alignment with Slaintecare, particularly in relation to delivering coordinated, person-centred care across hospital and community services.
- Education, Training, and Research – Highlights the role of CLP services in supporting clinical training, staff development, and research.
- Governance – Sets out clear structures for clinical and operational governance to ensure accountability and quality improvement.