On May 2020, the then Minister of State with responsibility for Youth Justice, David Stanton TD, launched a report that examined the response of young people participating in Garda Youth Diversion Projects (GYDPs) to the Covid-19 public health measures.¹ The report was a collaboration between the Research Evidence into Policy, Programmes and Practice (REPPP) project based in the School of Law at the University of Limerick and the Department of Justice and Equality.^1,2 The design of the report allows for rapid assessment by policymakers.¹

In February 2020, President Michael D Higgins launched the Planet Youth strategy and implementation framework: Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.¹ Planet Youth was established in Ireland in 2018 by the Western Region Drug and Alcohol Task Force (WRDATF). In May 2019, the first tranche of survey data was published from pupils in schools across the three participating areas in the region (Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon).^2,3,4

Cannabis continues to be the most common ‘main problem drug’ for new cases accessing treatment in Ireland. In 2018, it was reported as the main problem drug for 38% of new cases, followed by cocaine (31.1%) and opioids (18.1%).¹ A new Irish study explores the experiences of a sample of teenagers (n=8) attending treatment for their cannabis use, entitled ‘Debt on me head’: a qualitative study of the experience of teenage cannabis users in treatment.²

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is now among the most common causes of cirrhosis and primary liver cancer in Europe.¹ As HCV is a blood-borne virus, people who inject drugs are the primary risk group for contracting HCV, making up 80% of new infections.² With opioid substitution increasingly being provided in primary care settings, they have an important role in HCV screening and treatment. In a 2018 study published in the Interactive Journal of Medical Research, Murtagh et al. investigated compliance in Irish primary care practices with guidelines on screening for HCV, other blood-borne viruses, and alcohol use disorder.³

About 74% of patients contracting HCV will become chronically infected, which is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality.⁴ As symptom onset can be delayed by decades and result in considerable damage to the liver, screening for HCV is vital among opioid substitution patients, who are often at increased risk of HCV infection due to a history of drug injection. Additionally, opioid substitution patients often present with problem alcohol use, which can exacerbate the risk of liver disease. Hence, guidelines from the World Health Organization and Health Service Executive advise on addressing alcohol use with HCV patients.

Effective diagnostic technology (e.g. FibroScan) and treatment for HCV (direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment) are now available, but due to the high cost of treatment, guidelines prescribe prioritising patients with the highest clinical need.⁵ Additionally, scarce time and resources can complicate treatment within primary care. Given new options and plans to expand HCV interventions, the study’s aim was to investigate whether opioid substitution patients were receiving HCV screening and care in line with best practice guidelines.

The Danger of Viral Exposure (DOVE) Service in the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin was established to meet the specific needs of pregnant women who have, or are at risk of, blood-borne or sexually transmitted bacterial or viral infections in pregnancy. Exposure may also occur through illicit drug use. Figures from the service for 2018 were published in the hospital’s annual report in 2019.¹

The annual report published by the Mental Health Information Systems Unit of the Health Research Board, Activities of Irish psychiatric units and hospitals 2018,¹ shows that the rate of new admissions to inpatient care for alcohol disorders has decreased.

The 17th annual report from National Self-Harm Registry Ireland was published in 2019.¹ The report contains information relating to every recorded presentation of deliberate self-harm to acute hospital emergency departments in Ireland in 2018 and complete national coverage of cases treated. All individuals who were alive on admission to hospital following deliberate self-harm were included, along with the methods of deliberate self-harm that were used. Accidental overdoses of medication, street drugs, or alcohol were not included.

In December 2016, the Health Service Executive (HSE) launched its clinical guidelines for opioid substitution treatment (OST)¹ in conjunction with the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, the Irish College of General Practitioners, and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland. Appropriate policies and standard operating procedures for the delivery of inpatient OST are essential for patient safety when treating a person with an opioid dependency.

Following the publication of those guidelines, it became apparent that there was a need for a specific set of guidelines covering inpatient aspects for the prescribing and dispensing of OST within the hospital setting.²

Having identified the specific need for guidance within the hospital setting, the new document is an adjunct to Clinical guidelines for opioid substitution treatment. It is divided into seven sections, each covering the different aspects of OST treatment: the guiding principles; rehabilitation and psychosocial components of OST; principles and key operational stages of pharmacological interventions of OST; assessment of dependence and management of OST; drug testing; OST and associated health considerations; and specific treatment situations and populations.^3,4