Existing guidelines for those working with opiate users are controversial and heavily criticised, and a report seen by MI recommends a radical overhaul of how services are delivered. James Fogarty investigates

The struggle to both balance the books and keep the health services afloat is an all consuming one. Drug addiction services are perhaps one of the casualties of this focus. Although recent figures compiled by the Health Research Board (HRB) said the annual number of drug-related deaths and deaths among drug users in Ireland decreased from 652 in 2009 to 575 in 2010, problems remain. Budget reductions, a continued scarcity of services outside the capital, and concern over the ICGP’s opiate treatment guidelines have combined to make a difficult area of medicine even more challenging.