Eating disorder unit set for Cork
Three Cork projects have been outlined in the 2026 HSE Mental Health Capital Plan including a specialised eating disorder unit.
The Cork facilities will share a funding allocation of €40.57 million with 40 other projects around the country. The plan 2026 includes a purpose-built 10-bed Community Rehabilitation Residence (CRR) in Midleton; a mental health unit in St Finbarr's Hospital, Cork city; and a mental health unit including specialist eating disorder unit in St Stephen's Hospital, near Glanmire.
As part of the capital plan, Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler TD is prioritising the development of three regional adult eating disorder inpatient centres providing improved access to specialist public beds in Cork, Dublin, and the North West. Minister Butler said: “It has long been my priority to improve access to specialist public beds for adults with eating disorders and we are going to develop three regional inpatient centres in Dublin, Cork, and the North West with a total of 22 dedicated beds.”
The new eating disorder facility in Cork will provide specialist inpatient eating disorder care closer to home for people who are acutely unwell while reducing the HSE’s current reliance on private placements.
Minister Butler also outlined her aim to progress to redevelop six priority acute mental health units in 2026 to provide an improved therapeutic and recovery-focused environment for people admitted for mental health treatment. This includes new and upgraded facilities in Waterford, Roscommon, Cork, North Dublin, Kildare, and South Dublin.
Minister Butler said: “We now have significant resources to transform our mental health facilities to create safe, therapeutic, and recovery-focused environments for people experiencing acute mental illness. “There is huge momentum behind transforming the mental health capital estate thanks to €470 million of investment under the National Development Plan 2026-2030,” she added.
Minister Butler said she will soon publish a ten year Capital Plan for Mental Health which will set out a long-term vision and build further on the priorities set out in the plan for the coming year.