As set out in our HSE Corporate Plan 2021-2024, our vision is a healthier Ireland, with the right care, at the right time and in the right place. Our focus remains on achieving better health outcomes for everyone, recognising where we are falling behind, concentrating our efforts on reversing these trends and accelerating the digitalisation of our health service. In line with the ambition of Sláintecare to transform and reform our services, the creation of six new Health Regions and 20 Integrated Health Areas brings with it a unique opportunity for fundamental change in how we deliver integrated care in Ireland.

Objective 6 - Prioritise prevention and early intervention services focusing especially on children’s health, obesity and alcohol harm

PDF p.22 Alcohol prevention and early intervention: 28,884 people completed the online alcohol self-assessment tool. A project Echo Community of Practice was established for Integrated Alcohol Services providing psychosocial and therapeutic interventions and family support for people with alcohol use disorders and developing integrated care pathways between acute, primary care and social inclusion services.

Smoking cessation and vaping prevention: Over 20,000 people received face to face or telephone support from a stop smoking advisor (double the number of clients since 2021). New youth vaping prevention resources were published.

PDF p.24 Public health legislation: Continued to implement and inform the development of key environmental/public health legislation, including enforcement of newly enacted provisions of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 and Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023 and planned for the commencement of additional
sections of these statutory instruments.

Statutory programmes: Risk-based control programmes were delivered in relation to food safety, sunbeds, alcohol, port health, cosmetic products, tobacco, e-cigarettes and import/export controls, including 53,669 inspections, 16,131 samples, 8,375 investigations and 73,293 import/export actions.

PDF p.26 3.2.4 Social Inclusion
a. Emerging Drug Trends Laboratory: A new laboratory officially opened in the National Drug Treatment Centre, Dublin, to improve monitoring and response to new drug trends. In 2024, over 200 samples were analysed at four festivals, and three health risk communications were issued 

b. Harm reduction responses: Ireland’s first medically supervised injecting facility opened at Merchant’s Quay Ireland; the Circle programme was established to train peers nationally in overdose recognition and naloxone administration (411 administrations of naloxone were recorded in 2024); the HSE’s first addiction services, specifically for people experiencing problem gambling and gaming, were piloted in Limerick, Galway and North Dublin 

PDF p.62 Community Services
• Castle Street Clinic, 37-41 Castle Street, Dublin 2: Phased upgrade of existing building to continue to deliver alcohol and drugs related specialist services as part of health and social care network

PDF p.64 Merchants Quay, Dublin 8: HSE funding to support the refurbishment and extension of property for Merchants Quay Ireland (Homeless and Drugs Service) to provide medically supervised injecting facility.