Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 March 2022
735. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Health for an update on the as yet unpublished follow up report on mortality in single homeless population that was to be funded by his Department and the HSE as a follow up study to the Interim Report on Mortality in Single Homeless Population 2020. [16445/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraPeople who are long-term homeless experience a high prevalence of physical disease, mental illness, and substance use. As a result, they are more likely to die prematurely. A study of mortality among people who are homeless in Dublin (Ivers and Barry, 2018), found the median age at death for people who are homeless is young at just 42 years old, while the median age at death for homeless women is even lower at 37 years. The study recommended that a system of recording and reporting premature deaths among people who are homeless should be rolled out nationally so that data relating to all deaths in people known to be homeless in the state are available.
As a social determinant of health, being homeless worsens the physical and mental health of those affected and makes people more vulnerable to problematic drug and alcohol use. Furthermore, homelessness undermines the effectiveness of health care services, as it creates additional barriers for people in accessing treatment in a timely and integrated manner.
The Health Research Board is responsible for managing the National Drug Related Deaths Index (NDRDI), which is a census of drug-related deaths and deaths among drug users and those who are alcohol dependent. The NDRDI was established in 2005 and is jointly funded by the Departments of Health and Justice and Equality.
In 2020, the Department of Health asked the HRB to undertake a one-year feasibility study to collect mortality data among people known to be homeless from closed files in the Coroners Service through the existing NDRDI data collection methodology. The extension of this NDRDI methodology has been used successfully to collect data on other premature deaths, including road accidents and suicide.
The HRB is currently reviewing the data collected for deaths in 2019, including deaths among people who were homeless, in approximately 17,000 files from all Coroner districts. However, due to public health Covid-19 restrictions, data collection has been delayed and is not yet completed. The HRB hopes to have the report finalised by early summer, but this is contingent on continued access to the coroner’s offices.
The purpose of the feasibility study is to strengthen the evidence base for preventing premature death among people who are homeless. The public health response to Covid-19 greatly minimised the risk of illness and death for people who are homeless and improved their access to healthcare services. The ambitious targets in the Housing First Implementation Plan 2022-2026 is a further expression of my determination to break the vicious cycle of homelessness and premature death.
