Dr. Laura O'Reilly:

There are specific dual diagnosis programmes that are emerging but from a practice point of view or a community-based service provision point of view, while that can seem quite simple on paper, we often do not have that concurrent treatment approach. Unfortunately what happens then is the person is getting bounced back and forth between two different services or else those providing addiction service are spending a lot of their time trying to route or signpost the person to mental health services rather than doing the addiction work. It has come up a few times in today's discussion that there is a need for more joined-up, shared working and an acknowledgement that these issues are presenting at the same time and need to be treated at the same time too. We need to work out what would make that easier for people themselves and for the service providers. We know how to do the work that we are meant to be doing but sometimes it is those blockages that create difficulties for us. We have seven community-based services around the country that are resourced to deliver a seeking safety programme that is very much set up to work with people who are presenting with trauma-related challenges, addiction and other mental health issues, alongside issues like domestic violence.

That is only present in seven sites across the country, five of which are in Dublin. If services like that were to be a little bit better resourced, we could see an expansion of them. That is a service that invites people in and acknowledges that a range of issues that have presented are what has brought them there.