National Drugs Forum 2026

This years forum will consider how developments in telemedicine, personal health, health information systems and artificial intelligence will affect responses, monitoring and policy development over the next few years. Developing Ireland’s digital health architecture will be a significant challenge, but the quality of our information systems, the expert knowledge available and the commitment of successive governments will contribute to major transformation of health service planning and delivery over the next few years.

The drugs phenomenon and the responses to it are part of a multi-faceted and complex system. The services that respond to the drug situation, the research community that analyses it, and the policy system implementing change will face very particular difficulties in adapting to a rapidly altering health landscape. Engaging with service users and implementing the principes of coproduction in the development of digital services will be priorities in these initiatives.