The tender process for a pilot supervised injecting facility for drug users in Dublin city centre has begun.

The HSE has published an invitation for suitably qualified and experienced service providers to submit tenders for the facility, which it is envisaged will run for an 18-month period.

"A supervised injecting facility (SIF) is a clean, safe, healthcare environment where people can inject drugs, obtained elsewhere, under the supervision of trained health professionals. They offer a compassionate, person-centred service, which reduces the harms associated with injecting drug use and can help people access appropriate services," the HSE explained.

SIFs usually provide drug users with sterile injecting equipment, counselling services, primary medical care and an emergency response in the event of an overdose.

The aim of such a facility is to reduce overdose-related deaths, reduce the risk of disease transmission via shared needles and reduce the public health risks to members of the public, such as via a needle-stick injury.

SIFs also aim to link the most vulnerable and marginalised drug users with treatment services and other health and social services. Many of these people no longer engage with any kind of health service.

According to Dr Eamon Keenan, the HSE's National Addiction Lead, a SIF is an important health service, with the facilities typically consisting of a reception area, a drug consumption area and a recovery area.

"The exterior of a SIF looks like any other health or social care premises. There are over 90 of these types of facilities across the world in Europe, Canada and Australia. From research that has been carried out in these countries, there is clear evidence of the benefits that such services can provide both for people who use drugs and the wider society," Dr Keenan explained.

He also emphasised that the research suggests that such facilities ‘do not encourage drug use, delay treatment entry or aggravate problems associated with local drug markets'.

The service will provide for adult drug users who are on the premises of the supervised injecting facility with the permission of the licence holder, for the purposes of consuming drugs by injection only.

A key part of the tender process is the establishment of a community liaison post to work with the community in the selected location. The provider and the proposed location will be known once the evaluation of the submissions is completed by the end of October 2017.

Tenders must be submitted by September 25 on www.etenders.gov.ie