The HSE has launched a new Model of Care for Dual Diagnosis to set out clear and integrated care pathways for people with a dual diagnosis.
Dual diagnosis is the coexistence of mental health problems and substance misuse problems.
The Model of Care was developed by a National Working Group under the HSE National Clinical Programme for Dual Diagnosis. It is endorsed by the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland and was developed in partnership with HSE Social Inclusion, HSE Health and Wellbeing and the National Office of Suicide Prevention, and in collaboration with other stakeholders.
Launching the Model of Care, both Mary Butler, Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People, and Hildegarde Naughton, Minister of State with responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drug Strategy, welcomed this as an important step in the provision of services for those with a dual diagnosis.
Minister Naughton said: “This is a welcome step in enhancing service delivery for people with a dual diagnosis and ensuring that people living with addiction have equal access to mental health services at a time when they need it.
‘”This Model of Care supports our vision, as set out in the Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery 2017-2025, that ‘every person affected by substance use is empowered to improve their health and wellbeing and quality of life’.”
Minister Butler said: “Providing an integrated service will benefit people with mental health and substance misuse to receive treatment through a single care pathway. A tiered model of service provision is one of the recommendations in our ‘Sharing the Vision – A Mental Health Policy for Everyone’. It’s important that treatment options for someone with dual diagnosis should address both conditions.”
The Model of Care recommends integrated delivery of services by collaborating with different stakeholders relevant to the needs of an individual service user. Separate referral pathways for Adults and Adolescents have been proposed, with 12 Adult Dual Diagnosis teams and four hub Adolescent Dual Diagnosis teams recommended, as well as spokes’ services for adolescents with Dual Diagnosis across the country. As part of the Model of Care, it is also recommended to establish a HSE National Dual Diagnosis Rehabilitation Centre in Dublin in the future.
The launch also highlighted the impact of the Seeking Safety Ireland programme. The programme was established in November 2022 through the National Clinical Programme for Dual Diagnosis. Its initial focus is on women with dual diagnosis who also have complex trauma histories. The aim of the programme is to teach individuals, through psycho-educational classes, how to successfully seek safety in their world, and runs across seven HSE Community Healthcare Organisations (CHOs) in partnership with HSE-funded agencies.
Speaking about the Seeking Safety programme, Anita Whyte, HSE Programme Manager for the Dual Diagnosis National Clinical Programme, said: “This is such an important service for people with dual diagnosis who have suffered trauma. We have supported 157 women in the first five months of the programme and hope to roll out the service nationally. Key to successful outcomes for these women have been the input from people with lived experience and the collaboration among the HSE and the voluntary sector. There are seven Seeking Safety peer support workers in post, with lived experience of dual diagnosis, who bring valuable insight and perspective into how best to reach, engage and support the programme’s participants.”
A family member of a service user with Dual Diagnosis shared their experience during the launch event. They highlighted the current gap in services and the lack of specialist services to deal with both mental health and addiction issues, which Dual Diagnosis services will now seek to address.
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