Ireland launches digital strategy to increase mental health support
- 24 February 2026
- Ireland has launched a digital mental health strategy for the next four years
- It aims to increase access to mental health services through technology including the HSE App
- Digital mental health developments will be incorporated into the national electronic health record
Ireland has launched a digital strategy to increase access to mental health services through technology and improve digital health literacy.
The ‘Sharing the Vision Digital Mental Health Strategy 2026-2030’, published by the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Department of Health in Ireland on 20 February, aims to enhance mental health through digital technologies that improve infrastructure and provide “safe, effective, and accessible mental health information, tools, and services”.
As part of the 2026 Budget, €1 million (£873,455) funding was secured to implement the strategy, bringing investment in digital services such as online cognitive-behavioural therapy and text-based supports to more than €7m (£6.1m).
Mary Butler, minister for mental health, said: “This strategy sets out a clear vision: to harness and scale the use of digital technologies to provide safe, effective and accessible mental health information, tools and services.
“It represents a significant step forward in how we deliver mental health services in Ireland. By embracing digital innovation, we can expand accessibility and increase reach so that more people can access the supports they need.
“This is about building a more connected, responsive and inclusive mental health service.”
The strategy includes service improvement and development across technology such as apps, websites, wearables, teleconferencing software, health-monitoring technologies, electronic health records (EHR) and electronic prescribing and medicines administration.
Digital mental health developments will be incorporated into the national EHR, which the HSE began procurement for earlier this month.
Also, the HSE App, which launched last year, will be used to “consolidate, promote and increase access to mental health services and resources”.
The strategy says that the mental health sector will “support the trialling of existing tools and products that support the implementation of standards, such as the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps (ORCHA)”.
A key theme of the strategy is access and equity to ensure that digital mental health services are inclusive and accessible to underserved and marginalised groups.
Dr Ruth Melia, associate professor in clinical psychology at University of Limerick (UL) and member of the HSE digital mental health specialist group, said: “The recent advances in digital mental health demonstrate that digital is a key enabler of accessible and equitable mental health service provision.
“One example, the SpunOut Navigator app, developed in collaboration with the HSE, young people, and researchers here at UL, has been used in more than 42,000 sessions by young people since it was launched in June 2025.”
Consideration will also be given to “developing a single, accessible, reliable source of information on digital mental health,” with online training courses and other digital health literacy resources, which the strategy says could be a website or sub-section on an existing website.
It adds that digital mental health developments will “be coordinated and cohesive with broader developments in digital technology infrastructure and the implementation of Digital for Care”, the framework setting out Ireland’s digital health roadmap.
Meanwhile, Irish life sciences and health tech companies set a decade-high record in 2024, raising €491.3 million (£432m) across 89 venture capital deals, according to a report from Enterprise Ireland.
