Sinn Féin spokesperson on Addiction, Recovery and Wellbeing, Thomas Gould, has today called for the government to begin to progress legislative changes that will allow for nurse prescribing of Opioid-Substitute Treatments (OST).

His comments come following an AV room presentation by leading experts in the field hosted by Deputy Gould.

Teachta Gould said:

“What we heard was clear – the clinical and empirical evidence supports nurse prescribing of OST. It has been 14 years since this was first formally recommended to the government but there has been no progress.

“The HSE are now claiming this is not a priority. I cannot understand why and they need to make clear where the delays are coming from.

“What we heard from experts is that nurse prescribers can prescribe a wide variety of opiates. We heard from Barry McBrien, a practicing nurse prescriber, who spoke of how sometimes patients have to leave mid-treatment because they must access OST. That is a shocking situation that needs to be resolved.

“It is now time for nurse prescribing to come onto the agenda and be seriously considered by this government. Rural communities are often at particular disadvantages with fewer practitioners offering OST in these areas. Nurse prescribing offers an opportunity to end the postcode lottery and make OST accessible for everyone.”