Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 June 2023
254. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice how many people are on waiting lists for addiction treatment in Irish prisons in 2022; the average waiting period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26842/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Prison Service provides a health care service for prisoners with addictions in a structured, safe and professional basis in line with international best practice. The Prison Service continues to be committed to, and predominantly involved with, the National Drugs Strategy in partnership with community colleagues and organisations.
It is the policy of the Service that, where a person committed to prison gives a history of opiate use and tests positive for opioids, they are offered a medically assisted, symptomatic detoxification, if clinically indicated.
Patients can, as part of the assessment process, discuss other treatment options with healthcare staff; those treatment options may include stabilisation on methadone maintenance for persons who wish to continue on maintenance while in prison, and when they return to the community on release. I am further advised that while drug treatment services are provided in all closed prisons, the same type of programmes are not offered in open prisons as a condition of transfer to an open prison is that the prisoner is drug free. There is no waiting list to access the above supports.
In addition, the Irish Prison Service engages Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) to provide a prison-based addiction counselling service across the Irish Prison Service estate. The addiction counselling service includes structured assessments and evidence-based counselling interventions, with clearly-defined treatment plans and goals.
The Irish Prison Service and MQI prioritise prisoners who are in greatest clinical need and will work closely together as part of a multidisciplinary team to manage the waiting list with team leaders, reviewing caseloads with each counsellor monthly to ensure that cases are closing appropriately.
In the larger prisons the average waiting period can be up to twelve weeks. If there are concerns raised following a medical assessment a prisoner will be prioritised. In addition, where waiting lists are high, MQI can offer group counselling as an alternative to one-to-one to give access to as many people as possible.
Those closer to release are prioritised and MQI try to identify available services in the community to ensure continuity of care and that a release plan and harm reduction information can be imparted before release.
The information requested by the Deputy on the number of prisoners who were on waiting lists to access addiction services in 2022 is set out by prison in the table below and is based on the number on the waiting list at the end of the year.
|
Prison |
Number on waiting list at end of the year |
|
Cork |
103 |
|
Limerick |
33 |
|
Midlands |
103 |
|
Portlaoise |
49 |
|
Mountjoy |
176 |
|
Dochas |
32 |
|
Loughan House |
20 |
|
Shelton Abbey |
3 |
|
Wheatfield |
181 |
|
Cloverhill |
47 |
|
Castlerea |
78 |
