Pilot injecting facility in Dublin extended by 12 months

A pilot supervised injecting facility operated in Dublin city by Merchants Quay Ireland has been given a 12-month licence extension to June next year.

The facility operates from the Riverbank Centre in Dublin city and opened in December 2024.

The Department of Health said the facility offers a safe, clean and supervised space where individuals can inject drugs, under the care of trained medical professionals.

It aims to reduce the harms associated with injecting drug use, including the risk of drug overdose, premature death and the transmission of infectious diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C.

It also seeks to reduce the litter and anti-social behaviour associated with injecting drugs on the street.

From December 2024 to May this year the facility dealt with 22,000 attendances, around 350 a week.

Around 150 clients have used the facility each week.

There have been 380 interventions in drug overdoses and all these were non-fatal.

The HSE has commissioned an independent evaluation of the supervised injecting facility from Queen's University Belfast and Trinity College Dublin.

An interim evaluation covering the first six months has been published and the department said it documents early evidence of the impact and effectiveness of the facility.

The licence extension has been granted under the Misuse of Drugs Act by Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy Jennifer Murnane O' Connor.