THE HSE has pledged funding to a vital West Cork mental health service for the remainder of 2026, with efforts afoot to secure funding for future years.

Dunmanway-based West Cork Counselling Services (WCCS), which also offers out-reach services in Bantry and Skibbereen, was facing closure after the HSE withdrew financial support. However the HSE has now said it will fill the funding gap until the end of the year to keep it going.

WCCS chairperson Teresa O’Sullivan said staff were hugely relieved, adding it was an enormously positive outcome for clients, staff, volunteers and the wider community.

‘The response from clients, community organisations, public representatives and supporters has been truly remarkable,’ she said.

‘While the funding provides much-needed stability, the organisation has emphasised that achieving long-term sustainability remains a priority. This funding secures our service in the immediate term and allows us to continue supporting those who depend on us. However, our focus now turns to securing commitment to core funding before the end of 2026.’

WCCSS will work closely with government departments over the coming months in a bid to secure a permanent funding solution that reflects the growing demand for accessible mental health services, the organisation said.  It’s understood the government is also looking at ways of providing extra funding for men’s mental health services in the
area.

‘Minister Mary Butler has confirmed to me that the HSE in the South West region will fill the gap in funding at least until the end of 2026, at which point they’ll reassess how service delivery can be sustained,’ said Minister and Cork South West TD Christopher O’Sullivan (FF).

Senator Noel O’Donovan (FG) said the service offered crucial support for West Cork and he thanked the team for their ‘determination and commitment’.

For the past 20 years the service, the only one of its kind in the region, has played a crucial role in supporting people who might otherwise be unable to access timely mental health care. Cllr Isobel Towse (SD) said she was over the moon for the organisation which had fought hard to keep the doors open for people who can’t afford private counselling, or can’t wait a year on a public
waiting list.

‘They are bridging a gap in mental health services in West Cork which the HSE created through its own failings,’ said Cllr Towse, who vowed to continue to lobby for increased funding going forward.

Meanwhile, the government has announced a major expansion of community-based counselling and talk therapy supports, backed by a total investment of €3m in the 2026 budget.  Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler TD (FF) said the funding was helping to ensure ‘more people are receiving professional, community-based supports in a timely and accessible way’.