TWO NEW EARLY intervention in psychosis (EIP) teams are due to be set up in Limerick and Dublin.
Mary Butler, the minister with responsibility for mental health, today confirmed that funding has been secured in Budget 2025 for the two teams.
Speaking to reporters at a media briefing in Dublin, Butler said 24 whole-time equivalent roles will be funded across the two teams at a cost of €2.8 million.
The exact timeframe for when the teams will be established has not yet been confirmed.
People working in the sector have welcomed the news, saying the teams are badly needed and will save lives.
The main symptoms associated with a psychotic episode are hallucinations and disturbed thoughts. Some people have a one-off psychotic episode, but others develop a related disorder like schizophrenia.
Each year in Ireland, an estimated 1,500 people develop a psychotic disorder for the first time. The earlier a person receives help, the better the outcome.
An EIP team is a multi-disciplinary team led by a consultant psychiatrist. The teams typically include staff from a range of different disciplines with expertise in areas such as mental and physical health, therapy, medication, addiction, and employment and family support.
There are currently five EIP teams, at various staffing levels, in Ireland. A sixth adult team and the country’s first CAMHS EIP team, which will see patients under 18, are currently being set up.
The HSE estimates that 20 more EIP teams are needed to meet the level of demand. When the two new teams are set up, there will be eight EIP teams treating patients in Ireland.
In recent months, The Journal published Falling Through the Cracks, a series which explored how a lack of access to services is impacting young people who experience psychosis or schizophrenia.
People who receive early intervention for psychosis are much more likely to recover and stay in, or return to, education or work.
Dr Karen O’Connor, the HSE’s National Clinical Lead on EIP, previously told The Journal it’s “critically important” that people who experience psychosis get timely access to care, but they “tend to come very late to treatment”.
“We started to realise people had psychotic symptoms for two, three years, before they ever got access to care,” she explained.
The longer the delay is between the onset of the symptoms and you accessing care, the worse your outcome.
“I’ve met people who’ve been psychotic for 10 years and haven’t been able to access care.”
However, early intervention is proven to save lives and money.
As well as the two new EIP teams, a separate programme involving mental health professionals and An Garda Síochána is set to be rolled out in Limerick on Monday, Butler said.
Under the Cast programme, if a person is experiencing a psychotic episode, a clinician will be on hand to attend the scene with gardaí.
The minister said she was “delighted” to have secured funding for these services.
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