Young person dies every fortnight of drug overdose

The networking organisation that oversees primary healthcare services for the homeless has said it is aware of a fatal drug overdose, usually involving a young client, every fortnight.

Safetynet Primary Care Network for Homeless Health Services (Safetynet) was established in 2007 and while it does not provide services directly, it ensures that nurses, doctors and voluntary agencies offer primary healthcare to homeless people in Dublin, Cork and Galway.

Founder Dr Austin Carroll said the explosion in the number of people accessing homeless services — particularly in Dublin — was “worse than I’ve seen in a long time”.