16/08/2026
John McGuinness has rightly highlighted the urgent need to improve psychiatric and mental health services in Kilkenny, and I welcome his continued support for this issue and for the work of The Thomas Hayes Trust.
But we also need to acknowledge the organisations that are already filling the gaps that statutory services cannot currently meet.
Every week, the team at Teac Tom provides over 100 therapy sessions to people in our community, many of whom are experiencing crisis, bereavement or significant emotional distress. Yet we continue to rely heavily on fundraising and the generosity of our community simply to keep these services available.
That is no longer acceptable or sustainable.
Despite the level of service being provided, we still have no firm commitment from the HSE to adequately fund this work. A community should not have to continuously fundraise to ensure that people in crisis can access timely support.
John has always been a great supporter of Teac Tom and The Thomas Hayes Trust, and we are very grateful for that support. But now we need that support to translate into action.
We need a firm commitment from the HSE and the State to support services like Teac Tom. We are doing the work. We are supporting the people. We simply cannot continue to do it without proper, sustainable funding. 🌻🙏🌻
John McGuinness TD: The people of Kilkenny deserve a modern, properly resourced and adequately staffed psychiatric service
