Following last year’s success at the Irish Healthcare Awards, UCC’s Dr Michael Byrne believes momentum is gathering to have a sector-wide approach to the issue of alcohol misuse among students. Dara Gantly reports.

At last year’s Irish Healthcare Awards, UCC Health Matters went home with both the Best Public Health Initiative trophy and the overall An Duais Mhór award for its comprehensive Alcohol Action Plan.

Aimed at reducing levels of alcohol-related harm among students, the multifaceted plan has seen the introduction of such diverse measures as an online brief intervention tool for all incoming first years, intervention training for frontline college staff, alcohol information sessions and awareness events on campus, newly trained peer-support leaders to encourage alcohol education, and most recently the provision of alcohol-free accommodation on campus......