HSE launches life-saving naloxone provision in Cork

Ahead of International Overdose Awareness Day on 31 August, the HSE NAS Alternative Prehospital Pathway (APP) is launching a new programme to provide naloxone, a medicine that can reverse an opioid overdose, directly to people who have overdosed but decline ambulance transport to hospital.

Led by Dr Daragh Mathews, Emergency Medicine Doctor at Cork University Hospital, the APP team includes a doctor who can provide a naloxone take-home pack, ensuring this medication reaches those most at risk. 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.

“This new service can save lives by getting naloxone into the hands of people who need it most, when it’s needed,” said Dr Daragh Mathews, Emergency Medicine Doctor and NCHD Lead for the Alternative Prehospital Pathway (APP) Project at Cork University Hospital. “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.”

Prof Eamon Keenan, National Clinical Lead for HSE Addiction Services said: “I welcome and support this 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. I congratulate Dr Daragh Mathews on his work to establish this and look forward to the results of the pilot. If successful, this has the potential to be rolled out in other areas”.

For more information on naloxone click here https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/primarycare/socialinclusion/addiction/clinical-matters/naloxone/#:~:text=Naloxone%20(pronounced%20na%2DLOX%2D,alive%20until%20an%20ambulance%20arrives