Drugs strategy review finds staff shortages and service disruption
Rural areas, young people and marginalised groups are reported as being 'disproportionately affected' by service discrepancies.
Meanwhile, the review found that annual funding arrangements and restrictive hiring policies have contributed to staff shortages and disruptions in service delivery.
The National Drug Strategy (NDS) is set out as a national framework for addressing substance use through a 'whole-of-government, person-centred, and health-led' approach that primarily frames substance use as a public health issue.
An independent review of the strategy, published today, found that several stakeholders also believe prevention efforts are underdeveloped, inconsistent and lacking national ownership.
The report compiled by Grant Thornton notes some progress and achievements but makes 10 recommendations for the future direction of the strategy.
The authors consulted with the Health Service Executive (HSE), the Health Research Board (HRB), members of the National Oversight Committee (NOC) and Strategic Implementation Groups (SIG) for the NDS, as well as service users and family members with lived experience of drug use.
Based on those engagements, it found that equity of access continues to be a concern, particularly for marginalised groups.
Prevention and early intervention efforts were found to be fragmented and inconsistently delivered, while recovery and service user involvement requires further formalisation and resourcing.
Additionally, the limited integration of alcohol policy and the 'gradual implementation of legal reforms', such as alternative sanctions, were identified as areas requiring strategic refinement.
Meanwhile, governance structures were found to lack clearly defined roles, mandates, and accountability mechanisms.
Stakeholders highlighted the need for strong national leadership, enhanced co-ordination across departments, and more inclusive decision-making processes that incorporate lived experience of service users.
Advertisement
There were also calls for enhanced data integration and the establishment of a national research and evaluation centre.
The report also details claims of inconsistent reporting from all treatment providers which is further constraining the ability to assess the strategy's effectiveness.
Stakeholders reported that high attrition rates have been observed in different regions due to factors including limited funding.
There were repeated calls by some stakeholders for multi-annual funding commitments and targeted workforce investment to support more consistent and sustainable service provision.
Prevention efforts were widely viewed as 'under-resourced and lacking strategic focus'.
There was an emphasis on the need for early, community-based interventions that address root causes, such as trauma, poverty, and social disadvantage.
Evidence shows that early life experiences significantly influence later substance use.
The SPHE programme in schools was repeatedly cited for its inconsistent delivery.
Many stakeholders also felt that the NDS lacked clarity and strategic direction regarding alcohol addiction.
The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said it is 'essential' to assess how the more than 300 million euro in annual public expenditure on drugs delivers impact.
She said: 'The establishment of new HSE health regions presents a valuable opportunity to tailor drug treatment services to population needs and to ensure that both existing and new funding is allocated effectively and transparently.'
Meanwhile, Minister of State with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O'Connor, said: 'We have made significant progress in implementing the national drugs strategy, and I'm pleased that the independent evaluation documents the many achievements over the last eight years.'
She added: 'The recommendations from the independent evaluation will inform the development of the successor National Drugs Strategy. We need to move forward with new policies and better services to address the ever-changing drugs situation.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
HSE paid supplier €723,000 twice in 2021 and has not recovered overpayment
The HSE paid a supplier €723,000 twice and has not recovered the overpayment according to the State auditor. The double payment was made by two different areas of the HSE on separate financial systems operating in December 2021, which was not cross-checked. The Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy said the HSE disclosed the payment and set out actions to avoid such a situation in the future. "The HSE acknowledges there were weaknesses in controls, particularly, in relation to appropriate goods receipting protocols," Mr McCarthy said in an assessment attached to the HSE's annual report and financial statements for 2024. "The statement on internal control sets out the actions taken by the Health Service Executive to avoid similar circumstances recurring in the future." He said a single integrated financial system, which was due to go live at the start of this month, would "significantly reduce the risk of this kind of overpayment occurring in the future". Mr McCarthy also highlighted that €4.1 million due to the HSE was lost last year by missing deadlines by which it could claim charges for patients covered by a health insurer. A memorandum of agreement with the health insurer in 2016 sees the HSE paid 70 per cent of its charges for a patient stay, on account, if it makes its submission and validation within a 12-month period of a fully completed claim. If it does not meet that deadline, it must pay for all of the costs. "For a sample of eight hospitals examined on audit, it was noted that losses incurred in 2024 as a result of delays in submitting completed claims amounted to €2 million," Mr McCarthy said. "The Executive estimates that losses for the remaining hospitals it manages were €2.1 million, resulting in an estimated total loss of €4.1 million for 2024." The HSE's annual report indicated there was a 10 per cent reduction in the number of people waiting on trolleys in emergency departments last year. Over 108,000 people were recorded on trolleys in emergency departments last year, amid an 8 per cent increase in the total number of people attending and a rise of 7 per cent in admissions to emergency departments. HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said one of the most "challenging" aspects for the HSE was wait times for healthcare, and said tackling "unacceptably long" waits in emergency departments was an area of focus. HSE CEO Bernard Gloster (Image: Gareth Chaney/Collins) The HSE annual report for 2024 analyses the health service's performance and health trends among Irish people. "Addressing waiting lists for scheduled care and unacceptably long waits in emergency departments (EDs) remains a priority focus area, especially for older people and those with complex needs," Mr Gloster said in the foreword. "My plan for 2025 is to continue to bring trolley numbers down and to improve how our health and social care system works across seven days to allow consistent access to care." Requests for assessments of need for children spiked by 26 per cent last year compared to a year previous, and were 33 per cent above expected demand in 2024. There were 8,400 such requests in 2023 and more than 10,600 in 2024, in figures which had previously been shared by Children's Minister Norma Foley in the Dail. Norma Foley (Image: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos) Although there was a slight uptake on the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine compared to the previous year, the 89.9 per cent figure was below the target for 2024. The chairman of the HSE's board, Ciaran Devane, said in an introductory statement to the report that Ireland's population is ageing "faster than that of any other country in the EU". Since 2015, the number of people aged 65 years and over has increased by 37 per cent. Although life expectancy in Ireland, at 82.6 years, is ahead of the EU average, the burden of cancer is higher and accounts for a quarter of all deaths of those aged over 65. Mr Gloster, who is to step down from his role in March 2026, said 2024 was a year of "real progress". "We reduced the number of people waiting on trolleys by over 10 per cent, expanded community services and improved access to scheduled care with an additional 24,000 patients seen within target timeframes. "Our focus in 2025 will be to build on this momentum, improve patient flow and continue to reform how care is delivered across seven days." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Irish Independent
HSE paid supplier €723k twice and has not clawed back overpayment
The double payment was made by two different areas of the HSE on separate financial systems operating in December 2021, which was not cross checked. The Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy said the HSE disclosed the payment and set out actions to avoid such a situation in the future. "The HSE acknowledges there were weaknesses in controls, particularly, in relation to appropriate goods receipting protocols," Mr McCarthy said in an assessment attached to the HSE's annual report and financial statements for 2024. "The statement on internal control sets out the actions taken by the Health Service Executive to avoid similar circumstances recurring in the future." He said a single integrated financial system, which was due to go live at the start of this month, would "significantly reduce the risk of this kind of overpayment occurring in the future". Mr McCarthy also highlighted that €4.1m euro due to the HSE was lost last year by missing deadlines by which it could claim charges for patients covered by a health insurer. A memorandum of agreement with the health insurer in 2016 sees the HSE paid 70pc of its charges for a patient stay, on account, if it makes its submission and validation within a 12-month period of a fully completed claim. If it does not meet that deadline, it must pay for all of the costs. "For a sample of eight hospitals examined on audit, it was noted that losses incurred in 2024 as a result of delays in submitting completed claims amounted to two million euro," Mr McCarthy said. "The Executive estimates that losses for the remaining hospitals it manages were €2.1m, resulting in an estimated total loss of €4.1m for 2024." The HSE's annual report indicated there was a 10pc reduction in the number of people waiting on trolleys in emergency departments last year. Over 108,000 people were recorded on trolleys in emergency departments last year, amid an 8pc increase in the total number of people attending and a rise of 7pc in admissions to emergency departments. HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said one of the most "challenging" aspects for the HSE was wait times for healthcare, and said tackling "unacceptably long" waits in emergency departments was an area of focus. The HSE annual report for 2024 analyses the health service's performance and health trends among Irish people. "Addressing waiting lists for scheduled care and unacceptably long waits in emergency departments (EDs) remains a priority focus area, especially for older people and those with complex needs," Mr Gloster said in the foreword. "My plan for 2025 is to continue to bring trolley numbers down and to improve how our health and social care system works across seven days to allow consistent access to care." Requests for assessments of need for children spiked by 26pc last year compared to a year previous, and were 33pc above expected demand in 2024. There were 8,400 such requests in 2023 and more than 10,600 in 2024, in figures which had previously been shared by Children's Minister Norma Foley in the Dail. Although there was a slight uptake on the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine compared to the previous year, the 89.9% figure was below the target for 2024. The chairman of the HSE's board, Ciaran Devane, said in an introductory statement to the report that Ireland's population is ageing "faster than that of any other country in the EU". Since 2015, the number of people aged 65 years and over has increased by 37pc. Although life expectancy in Ireland, at 82.6 years, is ahead of the EU average, the burden of cancer is higher and accounts for a quarter of all deaths of those aged over 65. Mr Gloster, who is to step down from his role in March 2026, said 2024 was a year of "real progress". "We reduced the number of people waiting on trolleys by over 10pc, expanded community services and improved access to scheduled care with an additional 24,000 patients seen within target timeframes. "Our focus in 2025 will be to build on this momentum, improve patient flow and continue to reform how care is delivered across seven days."
Irish Examiner
10 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Delaying alcohol warning labels prioritises profiteering over health, says Irish Medical Organisation
The Government's decision to delay the roll-out of warning labels on alcohol ignores health in favour of corporate interests and profiteering, the president of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has warned. As Ireland continues to experience worsening rates of liver disease, alcohol-related cancers, and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), the planned roll-out of alcohol health information labelling has been delayed until 2028 at the earliest. The decision to delay the introduction of health warnings was approved this week by the Cabinet amid concerns the plan would undermine Irish trade competitiveness internationally. The labels, which warn of the health-related risks of alcohol and its link with cancer, had been due to come into effect in May 2026. President of the IMO, Dr Anne Dee, a consultant in public health, described the move as a 'serious threat to public health'. 'It will result in preventable incidences of cancer, increased incidences of liver disease, and harm to children because of a refusal to fully enact a bill signed into law seven years ago.' Labelling provisions under the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 are a critical tool in reducing alcohol-related harm, she added. An estimated 4.8% of babies born in Ireland suffer from FASD, which represents the third-highest incidence rate of the disorder in the world. 'This is about giving people the basic information that alcohol causes cancer, liver damage, and harm during pregnancy,' Dr Dee added. 'These are irrefutable facts. There is no excuse for keeping them off the label. The longer this Government delays, the more irreversible damage is done.' Dr Dee also criticised what she described as "the influence of vested interests in opposing the measure". 'We welcome the fact that the Government recently reiterated its refusal to meet with representatives of the tobacco industry in keeping with Ireland's obligations under international frameworks that recognise health-harming industries. But why is the alcohol industry, which produces a substance that results in the deaths of up to 1,500 people in Ireland every year, treated differently?' Lack of courage She called on the Government to implement all measures in the Public Health (Alcohol) Act, adding: "This delay shows a lack of courage and clarity when it comes to confronting the alcohol industry's influence, and an inability to act on the commercial determinants of health.' The Government decision to delay the introduction of alcohol health warnings comes against the backdrop of fears for Irish business from US trade tariffs proposed by Donald Trump. Ibec organisation Drinks Ireland welcomed the move and said it provided 'much-needed relief' for drinks producers in Ireland.
