Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter in the House. The overall strategic aim of the national drugs strategy is to tackle the harm caused to individuals and society by the misuse of drugs, through a concerted focus on the five pillars of supply reduction, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and research. Within this framework, the HSE is committed to achieving improved outcomes for people affected by addiction issues. Regarding the specific issue raised by the Senator, I am advised by the HSE that the under-18 counselling service in Dundalk is still in place. HSE-funded services such as the ISPCC teen focus programme, Turas counselling service and the Meath Jigsaw initiative provide support for young people presenting with substance misuse issues in Dundalk and the wider catchment area. The HSE addiction services in counties Louth and Meath refer appropriate cases for residential treatment and link with the HSE specialist adolescent services in Dublin. Staff work with parents and guardians on young peoples' substance misuse and liaise with and provide support for services working directly with the young people concerned.

The HSE commissioned a review of the Dundalk addiction services last year to determine whether the model of care was adequate to address service user needs and examine the adequacy of clinical governance arrangements underpinning service delivery. This included a review of the model of service organisation in the Louth-Meath area. The review team comprised an external consultant psychiatrist, a GP co-ordinator from HSE addiction services and a general manager from the office of the integrated service area manager, Louth-Meath primary care services. The review was completed earlier this year.

The report concluded that the existing model of service delivery in Louth-Meath needed to be strengthened in the light of the changing profile of substance misuse in the north east, to which the Senator referred. It recommended a number of structural changes to bring service provision in Louth-Meath into line with national addiction services. The changes recommended include the augmentation of the HSE team with specialist senior clinical personnel, restructuring management roles to allow for an appropriate demarcation between operational and clinical management and a review of roles and responsibilities of HSE staff. The report recommended the development of formal shared care working arrangements for service users in line with the national drugs rehabilitation framework and full implementation and monitoring of the needle exchange programme. It highlighted the need for a model of care to respond to the needs of young people dependent on drugs other than heroin.

The HSE is committed to implementing the recommendations made in the report and, as a first step in this process, has shared the report with the relevant staff to obtain their views and feedback on the issues raised. An implementation plan will then be put in place to address the issues raised in the report. The Government takes the issue of drug misuse extremely seriously and is committed to tackling the problem through all available mechanisms. My Department is beginning work on the development of a new national drugs strategy for the period from 2016 onwards. I intend to play an active role in the development of the new strategy and look forward to engaging with all interested parties in this work.