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Minister Naughton announces additional annual funding of €3.5m for drugs and inclusion health services provided by community and voluntary organisations

Minister for State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Hildegarde Naughton has today announced €3.5 million in annual funding to maintain existing level of drugs and inclusion health services provided by community and voluntary organisations.

The funding will be distributed by community healthcare organisations (CHOs), based on guidance issued by the Department of Health. The allocation per CHO is on a population basis as follows:

Minister Naughton said:

“I am delighted to announce €3.5 million in additional funding for community and voluntary organisations to maintain existing level of service for drugs and inclusion health. The funding recognises the important role of community and voluntary groups in providing drugs and inclusion health services, and acknowledges the increased costs of providing these essential services.

“I am allocating between €330,000 and €445,000 per annum to CHOs to support existing services to meet the health needs of socially excluded groups, such as people who use drugs and people who are homeless."

The additional funding is aligned with the emphasis on enhanced community care in the Sláintecare reform programme, bringing care into the community and closer to people’s homes. The funding also complements the once-off inflation fund, which provided €3.9 million to drugs and inclusion health services in 2023.

Minister Naughton continued:

“A strategic approach will be adopted in the use of this funding, to ensure tangible and quantifiable health benefits for service users and to support sustainable improvements in service provision.

“Priority will be given to services which are experiencing increased demand and have not received additional funding in recent years, in order to ensure maximum positive impact.”

It is envisaged that the funding will be distributed in Q3 2023.

In June 2023, Minister Naughton announced increased funding of €500,000 for cocaine and crack cocaine services. The Health Service Executive (HSE) has now advised that submissions from CHO 1, CHO 2, CHO 5, CHO 6, CHO 7, CHO 8 and CHO 9 were successful. Further details of the locations and host agencies of the successful applications are below.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

The new funding supports the strategic priority to enhance access to and delivery of drug services in the community, under the National Drugs Strategy for 2021-2025. Funding will also reinforce the strategic priority in the Department of Health’s Statement of Strategy 2021-2023, to expand and integrate care in enhanced community care.

Eligible services:

• drug services
• primary healthcare projects for Travellers
• healthcare services for people who are homeless
• healthcare services for refugees

€500,000 in increased funding for cocaine and crack cocaine services is being allocated as follows: