County Cork Pubs & Clubs Participate In Alcohol & Drugs Awareness Programme

Posted on March 3, 2008

Gordon Kinsley, Youghal Community Drugs Worker, Sgt. Claire Kennedy, Garda Rachel McGrath and Aoife Ni Chonchuir HSE South

Twenty three publicans and bar staff from Youghal participated in a training programme on the 27th, 28th February 2008 at the Walter Raleigh Hotel to increase their awareness of the negative effects of alcohol and drug misuse and to help them identify possible solutions to deal with such issues.

The Club Co Cork Alcohol & Drugs Awareness Training Programme, which was developed by the HSE South’s Health Promotion Department in partnership with An Garda Siochána and local publicans, is funded by the Southern Regional Drugs Task Force. The training programme has been extensively promoted through all the partners in the Youghal area namely Southern Regional Drugs Task Force Project through Gordon Kingsley the local Community Drugs Worker, local gardai and the Health Promotion Department.

Aoife Ni Chonchuir, Health Promotion Officer, HSE South who co-ordinates the course and delivers a session on drug and alcohol awareness explained “The aim of the course is to educate and inform those working in a pub/club environment about the negative consequences of drug and alcohol misuse. This course focuses on the signs and symptoms of illicit drug use and intoxication i.e. what signs look out for if a customer has taken cocaine, ecstasy etc.,” added Ms Ni Chonchuir.

The course covers a range of topics, in addition to general alcohol and drug awareness, including conflict resolution, effective communication skills, licensing laws, and awareness of the hazards of clubbing and emergency response awareness.

The areas covered are:

Emergency Medical Team (EMTs) - experiences & responses of EMTs to injuries sustained in a pub/club environment, awareness of first aid techniques.

An Garda Síochána - legislation, Garda ID cards, blood alcohol concentration, legal driving limits / recognising fraudulent ID

Security Management - role of security and management in pub / club

Effective Communication Skills: Dealing with difficult customers /situations / conflict resolution and negotiation

Input on Local Drug & Alcohol Services in the Youghal area delivered by Gordon Kingsley, Community Drugs Worker in Youghal

Ms Ni Chonchuir added that, “A session on Security Management is facilitated by Jess O Sullivan of AOS Security. Jess works through the medium of role play with participants taking practical examples from the pub/club environment in terms of diffusing conflict, handling situations in a polite and professional manner and highlighting the importance of all staff in the pub/club environment being equipped with effective communication skills.”

More than 350 members of the hospitality sector have received similar training in Cork City and the feedback from the programme which has been running since 2004 has been very positive. A recent evaluation showed that 90% of participants felt more informed about the misuse of drugs and alcohol and 91% said they found it beneficial in terms of their working environment and expressed an interest in further training. Members of An Garda Siochana in Cork city have noticed a fall in public order offences and have attributed part of this success to the Club Cork initiative.

Publicans interested in taking part in the ‘Club Co Cork’ training programme should contact the HSE South’s Health Promotion Department on Tel: 021 4921641

For further information please contact:
National Communications Unit,
HSE South,
Tel: 021-4923733/6
Email: communications {at} hse(.)ie

Publicans Colin Doyle, Jd’s; Liam Coakley, Coakley’s Bar; Michael Farrell, Farrell’s Summerfield Bar and Paul Dempsey, Berties