Minister extends condolences to family of late Kildare woman, reveals plans for mental health supports
Maxine Maguire died by suicide back in early 2017
A spokesperson for a government minister has said that she has extended her condolences to the family of a late Kildare woman who died by suicide.
The spokesperson made the statement while acting on behalf of Minister Mary Butler TD (Fianna Fáil), who is both the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip and the Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for Mental Health.
In addition, they maintained that there will be new plans implemented which aim to assist everyone and anyone experiencing a mental health crisis.
The statement follows after the Health Service Executive (HSE) publicly apologised to the family of late Newbridge woman Maxine Maguire, who died by suicide on February 7, 2017.
Maxine was 25 years of age at the time of her death.
Following the apology, the late Maxine’s mother, Kathy Maguire, said that she welcomed the HSE’s admission, while also renewing calls for improvements to mental health services.
When asked by the Leinster Leader if Minister Butler had plans to implement legal recommendations which came from the jury at her inquest, and also from the HSE’s own review into Maxine’s death.
In response, the spokesperson said that Minister Butler wished to extend ‘her deepest sympathies’ to the family of Maxine Maguire, as well as ‘all of those who have lost a loved one to suicide’.
“Minister Butler understands the profound and devastating impact each death by suicide has on families, friends and communities,” they added.
STRATEGIES
According to the spokesperson, strengthening supports for people presenting in mental health crisis ‘is a priority’ for Minister Butler.
They also detailed a list of strategies to assist those experiencing difficulties with their mental health.
The spokesperson elaborated: “A significant programme of work is underway across the government, the Department of Health and the HSE to improve how services respond to people in suicidal distress; this includes improving the quality and consistency of assessments, strengthening communication between services, and ensuring robust follow-up care and coordination.
“The National Clinical Programme for Self-harm and Suicide-related Ideation (NCPSHI) provides an evidence-based model of care in Emergency Departments, ensuring timely, comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments by specialist staff.
“The Liaison Psychiatry Model of Care is also being advanced to improve access to specialist mental health support in acute hospitals and to strengthen discharge planning and continuity of care.”
ALTERNATIVES TO EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS
The spokesperson continued: “Minister Butler is working to develop alternatives to Emergency Departments for those experiencing a mental health crisis; this includes Crisis Resolution Teams, which provide rapid, specialist out-of-hours interventions, and Crisis or ‘Solace’ Cafés, which offer accessible, non-clinical supports in the community.
“Additional funding of €4 million has been allocated in Budget 2026 to expand these services, alongside €3 million to develop specialist mental health nursing teams in emergency departments to enhance their capacity to respond to people who present in crisis, particularly late at night and at weekends.
“In addition, Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurses (SCAN) provide rapid assessments following GP referral for people who present in suicidal crisis, often in primary care settings.”
They further said: “There are now 45 of these specialist nurses providing this service in 18 different counties, and work is also progressing on the national Electronic Health Record, which will improve information sharing across services and support more integrated and coordinated care.”
The spokesperson also asserted that the government’s new national strategy, ‘Connecting for Life 2026–2035’ (which launched on May 27 last) ‘places a strong emphasis on improving crisis response, strengthening follow-up care, and ensuring better coordination across services’
Lastly, the spokesperson asserted that the implementation of the new strategy ‘will be informed by people with lived experience of suicidal ideation and suicide bereavement, in order to ensure that supports are ‘responsive, effective and compassionate’.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Samaritans Ireland (116 123 ) or you can visit pieta.ie (24/7 Free Crisis Helpline: 1800 247 247 or Text HELP to 51444).
In addition, you can also visit https://www.aware.ie/.