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HRB drug and alcohol evidence review on case management
by Brian Galvin
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The objective of the HRB’s recently published scoping review1 was to examine the peer-reviewed non-experimental literature on case management and substance use published between 2003 and 2013, and to answer specific research questions based on the literature. These comprised questions on the nature of case management, the outcomes studied, and gaps in the literature. In a case management approach to service provision, clients are typically offered and receive, or are linked to, a range of services tailored to meet their specific, individual needs. The objective of linking clients to relevant medical and social services is a key characteristic of this approach. Case managers also frequently work as advocates for their clients. This advocacy work may involve liaising with housing associations to address accommodation needs or job centres to improve employability. The rationale behind the linkage and advocacy work is that clients frequently present with multiple needs or complications which impact on their recovery or rehabilitation. Developing and maintaining links with existing services can help to address these multiple needs and aid the recovery process. Case management is also used to increase client retention in services and improve treatment outcomes.
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Launch of the Evaluation of the HSE Naloxone Demonstration Project
by Therese Lynn
On 30 August 2016, Minister of State for Communities and National Drugs Strategy Catherine Byrne TD attended the launch of the Evaluation of the HSE Naloxone Demonstration Project in Temple Bar, Dublin.1 The external evaluation was commissioned by the HSE National Social Inclusion Office and its launch coincided with International Overdose Day. The key theme was ‘Time to Remember, Time to Act’, which acknowledged the trauma and suffering of families and friends affected by drug misuse. The aim of the day was to reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths and to spread the message that overdose death and injury is preventable.
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Stop Out of Control Drinking campaign
by Deirdre Mongan
The Diageo-funded ‘responsible drinking’ campaign named Stop Out of Control Drinking (SOOCD) was launched in February 2015 and chaired by Fergus Finlay, the chief executive of Barnardos. Since its inception it has generated controversy due its funding by the alcohol industry, and it has been claimed that is merely a smokescreen to take away political focus from reforms in the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015 around minimum pricing, marketing, alcohol promotion and alcohol availability.1 A recent study analysed the SOOCD campaign. Its aims were to identify how the campaign and its advisory board members frame and define alcohol-related harm and its causes, and possible solutions.2 This involved undertaking an analysis of SOOCD campaign material, which included newspaper articles (n=9), media interviews (n=11), Facebook posts (n=92), and Twitter tweets (n=340) produced by the campaign and by board members.
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Cork and Kerry Alcohol Strategy 2016‒2018
by Lucy Dillon
The Cork and Kerry alcohol strategy 2016‒2018: time for change was launched in June 2016.1 It is the first for the area and was informed by a literature review of ‘alcohol and its influence at a global, national and local level’. This review is published as part of the strategy document. It includes literature from Ireland, the World Health Organization, and the European Union. In its conclusion, it identifies the introduction of minimum unit pricing, a reduction in availability, and increased restrictions on advertising and marketing as effective ways of reducing alcohol-related harms.
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Young people’s views of substance use and parenting
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The findings of a qualitative study that sets out to explore young people’s perceptions of the mechanisms by which family processes protect or place youth at risk of substance use have been published. McLaughlin et al.’s1 work was carried out with a view to informing family-based interventions preventing drug use. They held nine focus groups with a total sample of 62 participants aged between 13 and 17 years of age. Participants were post-primary school pupils from across Northern Ireland. While schools were selected from areas with a range of multiple deprivation measure rankings, data were not collected on individual pupil’s socioeconomic status or personal experience of substance misuse. Therefore, the findings were based on hypothetical situations rather than participants’ personal experiences. This limitation was explicitly acknowledged by the authors. Nonetheless, the findings included some useful insights that can be used to inform intervention development.
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