The Sláintecare 2026 Action Plan (SCAP26) represents the next stage in Ireland’s multiannual pathway to universal healthcare, advancing the delivery of Sláintecare and the commitments set out in the Path to Universal Healthcare: Sláintecare & Programme for Government 2025+ (SC2025+), focussing on major service and infrastructural reforms and system and staff productivity improvements.

P.27 Social Inclusion
Social inclusion actions target barriers to care for populations experiencing disadvantage. In 2026, the following actions will be delivered:
• Launch four new Healthy Community areas.
• Publish the National Drugs Strategy 2026–2029.
• Establish Regional Drug Forums in each HSE Health Region.
• Roll out a tiered training programme for homeless services staff.

P.33 Gender-specific drug treatment services for women affected by addiction, homelessness and other forms of marginalisation. Women with problematic drug use can face added stigma and barriers in accessing drug and alcohol services. Their drug use can also be more complex due to factors such as poverty, gender-based violence and homelessness. The following three initiatives were approved for funding, under the Women’s Health Action Plan, for gender-specific drug treatment services for women affected by addiction, homelessness and other forms of marginalisation.
• Improving the Health Outcomes of Women with Insecure and/or Unsuitable Housing Conditions: Assertive outreach.
• The Cornmarket Project’s GENSAT (Gender-Specific Addiction Treatment) service continues to develop as a key regional service responding to the specific addiction support needs of women across the South East, covering Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford, and South Tipperary.
• Built on the existing Wexford County Women’s Service, GENSAT now provides a regional blended service, offering both in-person support and an innovative secure online portal designed to reach women who may be unable to access traditional services due to childcare, stigma, transport barriers, or safety concerns.
• The Women’s Health Programme seeks to engage women from marginalised groups experiencing complex social challenges, aiming to develop and deliver individual care plans and advocate on their behalf.

Smoking Cessation
Smoking continues to be the single biggest preventable cause of premature death and disease in Ireland. Over half of the health gap across society is due to smoking. 1 in 6 adults currently smoke. The HSE provides life-saving stop smoking care via the QUIT Service. This includes free stop smoking medicines and behavioural support. Investment in the QUIT Programme has been greatly increased in recent years, and it is projected to support record numbers of people in 2026. More broadly, the Tobacco Free Ireland policy is currently being reviewed and updated. It will consider all available options to provide a pathway to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco use by preventing initiation and increasing cessation, and to prevent children and young people from using nicotine products. In 2026, the following will be delivered:
• Publication of the successor to the Tobacco Free Ireland policy.
• 22,820 smokers to receive face to face or telephone intensive cessation support from a cessation counsellor.

P.66 Public health, Health Prevention, Health Promotion and Social Inclusion: Sláintecare Healthy Communities (SHC) Programme.  
Develop an online self-help tool for substance use – Drugs, Alcohol and Sexual Health (DASH) (SIIF).

P.70 Tobacco Cessation.
Support 22,820 smokers to receive face to face or telephone intensive cessation support from a cessation counsellor.

New Health Region structures to be established under new National Drugs Strategy.
The new National Drugs Strategy will be published in 2026. In order to ensure alignment with Sláintecare and the  HSE Health Region structure, new ‘Regional Drug Forums’ will be established to manage the operationalisation of the new NDS.

Assessment of drug treatment demand.
The Drugs Policy, Refugee and Inclusion Health Unit have been working with Pobal and the Health Research Board to conduct an analysis of drug treatment data in order to inform the planning and delivery of services into the future. Information gathered during this project will be used to create a data hub for HSE Service managers to inform the planning and delivery of drug treatment services./

Social Inclusion.
Establishment and ongoing operation of a dedicated health and addiction facility for people experiencing homelessness, providing stabilisation, detoxification, BBV, intermediate care and recovery supports as part of an integrated care and harm reduction approach.

Support the ongoing operation of the medically supervised injecting facility.

P.79 Gender-specific drug treatment services for women affected by addiction, homelessness and other forms of
marginalisation.
Women with problematic drug use can face added stigma and barriers in accessing drug and alcohol services. Their drug use can also be more complex due to factors such as poverty, gender-based violence and homelessness.