Insurance costs bleed needle exchange programmes in Tallaght of cash

By Mary Dennehy

NEEDLE exchange programmes in Tallaght have been faced with “astronomical” insurance hikes of more than 300 per cent in recent years, with one local service unable to get insured by any company in Ireland.

The Echo has learned that rising costs have put needle exchange projects in Tallaght at risk, with one project experiencing an increase in its insurance premium of €7,200 in the space of three years – during which costs rose from €2,800 in 2013 to almost €10,000, an increase of more than 350 per cent.

Labour party councillor and drug project worker Mick Duff, who is based at St Aengus Community Action Group, told The Echo that their insurance premium has also climbed from €1,700 to €6,500.

Tallaght has three needle exchange programmes, JADD (Jobstown Assisting Drug Dependancy), CARP (Community Addiction Response Programme) in Killinarden and St Aengus Community Action Group.

Speaking to The Echo, Cllr Duff said: “The main purpose of the needle exchange programme is to prevent the spread of blood-borne viruses, such as HIV and Hep C, through needle sharing.

“The service makes sure that a person is using safely and it also introduces them to treatment services, as they get to know project staff when they visit the needle exchange.

“The service also reduces drug litter in the community as it promotes safe disposal.”

According to Cllr Duff, they have never received an explanation from insurers as to why they were being given a high quote or, in some cases, no quote.

“We have explained that there is no risk of exposure for staff,” Cllr Duff said.

“We are the ones who are trained and we’ve never felt exposed to any risk.

“The client comes back with the needle capped and wrapped and they dispose of it safely themselves in the exchange.

“The rise in insurance has been linked to an increase in steroid use, but the procedure is the same for everyone – there is no risk with any grouping of a drug user.”

He added: “One insurance company asked me if we wore steel mesh gloves which I was very offended by.

“Insurance companies should come out on site if they have questions, but not one visited us.

“In the end, we had to go with a company in London to get a quote because we couldn’t get insured in this country.”

Cllr Duff believes that additional HSE funding of €10,000 would cover the insurance increases of the three Tallaght-based needle exchange programmes this year.

He said: “This is an invaluable public health service and I think €10,000 is a very small price to pay to keep the population safe.”

The Tallaght Drugs and Alcohol Task Force (TDATF) has been highlighting the rise since 2014.

Grace Hill, TDATF co-ordinator, said: “This is a rising cost that community projects cannot sustain and it’s hikes such as these that are bleeding what funding community projects have for operational costs.

“We have spoken with individual insurance companies and tried to barter a better deal cumulatively for services, but unfortunately this has not been successful given the nature of insurance.”

She added: “It’s great that this issue is now being highlighted as we have felt helpless around it for some time. We hope our public representatives and statutory bodies will give this issue the support it requires to resolve.”

Speaking on the topic, TDATF chair Eamon Dolan said: “The astronomical increase in insurance costs is greatly impinging Drug and Alcohol Task Forces to provide the much-needed services required to local service users affected by substance misuse”.

The Echo did put the question to Insurance Ireland, which represents 95 per cent of the domestic insurance market, but they said that the decision lies with the individual insurers.