It gives me great pleasure to introduce
our Annual Report 2003, which is the first report from our new Board
which was established in 2003. It provides an informative account
of our activity and developments during 2003 and our plans for the
future.
In the delivery of services our Board is continually impressed by
the ongoing commitment and dedication of our staff. This report
has been produced as we celebrate our 35th year of delivering specialist
services in the field of substance misuse. As the longest established
and largest specialist treatment service in Ireland, we are proud
of our significant contribution to drug treatment policy and practice
during this time. Through our specialist services, and our expertise,
we continue to be an authority on addiction services and lead in
the development of models of best practice.
In 2003 we continued to demonstrate our proactive and innovative
approach to the treatment, care and management of drug misuse. One
such example was the pioneering, on-site pilot Hepatitis C treatment
programme in our specialist treatment centre, which we initiated
in March 2003. Following its initial success we plan to expand this
treatment service to a further 20 Hepatitis C positive individuals
in 2004. The programme, supported by the publication of our information
booklet “Hepatitis C A Guide for Drug Users and their Families”,
launched in December 2003 by Minister for Health and Children, Mr.
Micheál Martin, demonstrates our organisation’s capacity
to remain at the forefront of drug treatment and to improving the
quality of life of clients and families. Our laboratory research
showed a significant increase in the use of cocaine. We continue
to develop our programmes in order to respond to the specific needs
of these users by establishing dedicated and structured groups.
A key priority for the Board in 2003 was to ensure greater accessibility
to our services for the homeless population and young adults under
18 years. In partnership with homeless and youth agencies we proactively
developed ways for these groups to gain direct access to our service.
We also developed care pathways which ensured clients’ needs
remain the focus of our service planning and delivery. In 2003 we
commenced a process of consultation with the Eastern Regional Health
Authority (ERHA) / South Western Area Health Board (SWAHB) dental
services to establish an on-site dental service. We plan to start
this initiative in 2004. We will also continue to implement our
IT systems in line with our Information and Communication Technology
strategy (2002).
On behalf of the Board, I would like to also thank the Charitable
Infirmary Charitable Trust, The Department of Health & Children
and the Eastern Regional Health Authority for their continued support.
We are fortunate to have a dynamic, focused and committed team of
managers and staff. Under the guidance of the Board and General
Manager, Sheila Heffernan, this team enables us to build on our
success. In the future we look forward to working with the new Health
Service Executive to help us advance our delivery of a quality drug
treatment service. I would like to congratulate my Board colleagues,
management and staff for a job well done.
