MQI’s 18th annual review notes the continuing growth of homelessness and drug use. During 2014 MQI announced a number of developments and extensions to its services, most notably the establishment of The Night Café, completion of its client management system and the introduction of a dedicated mental health nursing position. MQI also published Examining the profile and perspectives of individuals attending harm reduction services who are users of performance and image enhancing drugs,2 which was launched in November 2014 by Susan Scally, Head of the Drug Policy Unit in the Department of Health.
MQI’s New Communities Support Service provided one-to-one support to 350 service users mostly from East European countries. The largest number of new community clients were from Poland.
MQI’s needle-exchange service recorded approximately 26,400 client visits in 2014. The report highlights the continuing high level of demand for homelessness services: 79,636 meals were provided by the day and evening services, and 5,329 health-care interventions were provided.
The year 2014 saw MQI continue to provide its national prison-based addiction counselling service to 13 prisons. MQI successfully tendered and was awarded the contract to provide this service until 2017. Demand for the service continues to be high: 11,225 individual counselling sessions were provided, and 4,273 group attendances were recorded. In Mountjoy Prison, MQI’s counselling service co-ordinates an inter-agency programme in the medical unit; during the year, 52 prisoners availed of the service, with 43 completing the programme.
MQI, in association with the Midland Regional Drugs and Alcohol Task Force and the Health Service Executive (HSE), administers the Midlands Family Support and Community Harm Reduction Service, providing outreach and working with families of those actively using drugs in that task force region. He :
- The family support service provided 212 group and 994 individual sessions, and 302 supportive phone calls.
- The harm reduction service worked with 255 clients, providing 2,454 interventions.
- On average, 217 needle exchanges were provided each month.
- Athlone Open Door Centre had 144 clients, recording 2,835 visits in total and providing 2,266 meals.
- The Midlands Rehabilitation and Aftercare service worked with 76 individuals, providing 422 one-to one-sessions and 99 group sessions.
In 2014 MQI developed two other programmes in the Midlands region:
- The Day Programme is a Department of Social Protection Community Employment (CE) scheme and it worked with 10 individuals during the year.
- The Resettlement Programme has established relationships with local property owners and MQI provides eight beds for individuals in recovery.
Table 1 Services offered by MQI, number of participants and outcomes, 2014
Service | Type of intervention | Number of participants | Outcomes |
Needle-exchange and health-promotion services | - Promotes safer injecting techniques
- HIV and hepatitis prevention
- Safe sex advice
- Information on overdose
- Early referral to drug treatment services
| 3,179 used needle-exchange services, of which, 527 were new clients. 1,786 safer injecting workshops were provided. | |
Outreach | - Street contact work
- Collecting used injecting paraphernalia
- Liaison with various groups and professionals
- Hospital visits
| Over 1,000 clients engaged with the outreach team. | |
Primary healthcare services | - Nursing
- Counselling
- GP service
- Psychiatric nursing
| 1,804 nursing interventions. 811 counselling sessions. 1,985 GP consultations. 168 psychiatric nursing assessments | |
Stabilisation services | Methadone substitution Gateway programme | 20 Not available | |
Aftercare | - Weekly aftercare support group (post residential treatment in High Park and St Francis Farm)
| 19 clients admitted to the service 22 clients admitted to the service | 55% completed the programme. 52% completed the programme. |
Integration programmes | - Ballymount House
- Leixlip House with Respond Housing Association
| 17 admissions to aftercare housing. | Occupancy rate for Ballymount and Leixlip was 84%. |
Training and work programmes | Community Employment (CE) scheme | 144 | Of the 42 who completed placements at MQI, 8 secured permanent employment, 3 returned to education and 3 moved to another course. |
High Park | 17-week, drug-free residential programme including individual counselling, group therapy, educational groups, work assignments and recreational activities | 297 referrals (of whom 43 were admitted for detoxification) | 8 clients received a Bronze An Gaisce Award. |
St Francis Farm | Therapeutic facility offering a 14- week programme. Detox facility | 357 referrals (of whom 46 were admitted for rehabilitation) 289 referrals (of whom 64 were admitted for detoxification) | 67% completed the programme. 69% completed their detox. |
(Ita Condron and Vivion McGuire)
1 Merchants Quay Ireland (2015) Annual review 2014. Dublin: MQI. http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/24503/
2 Merchants Quay Ireland (2014) Examining the profile and perspectives of individuals attending harm reduction services who are users of performance and image enhancing drugs. Dublin: MQI. http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/23024/
