Pilot scheme to tackle overdose deaths will save lives in Cork, says senior HSE manager

A new pilot scheme to get a medicine that can reverse opioid overdose directly to those most in need of it will save lives, a senior HSE manager in Cork has said.

David Lane, HSE South-West general manager of social inclusion, told The Echo lives would be saved due to a decision to provide naloxone, a medicine that can reverse opioid overdose, directly to people who have overdosed but decline ambulance transport to hospital.

“This is a life-saving drug that saves lives again and again, and we need it widely available,” Mr Lane said.

Ahead of international overdose awareness day on Saturday, the HSE announced on Friday that the National Ambulance Service’s alternative pre-hospital pathway (APP) team, led by Dr Daragh Mathews at Cork University Hospital (CUH), will provide the medication.

Trained

The APP team includes a doctor who can provide a naloxone take-home pack, ensuring this medication reaches those most at risk, according to the HSE. In 2024, the HSE supplied 6,944 units of naloxone to services nationwide and trained 2,330 people in overdose awareness and naloxone administration in collaboration with community partners.

Naloxone services, including training, are part of an integrated approach to reducing drug harm under the national drugs strategy, said Dr Mathews, an emergency medicine doctor and non-consultant hospital doctors lead for the APP project at CUH.

“This new service can save lives by getting naloxone into the hands of people who need it most, when it’s needed.

“For someone who has just experienced an overdose, even if they choose not to go to hospital, a witness having access to naloxone could mean a vital second chance.”

Improve access

Professor Eamon Keenan, national clinical lead for HSE addiction services, said he welcomed and supported the new APP take-home naloxone pilot.

“It will improve access to naloxone for people who use drugs in the community, and this is a key factor in reducing overdose deaths in our society,” he said.

“If successful, this has the potential to be rolled out in other areas.”