ABOUT US

What does the National Poisons Information Centre do?

We provide information to doctors and healthcare professionals, to assist them in the management of acute poisoning. This service for professionals is available 24 hours per day and 365 days a year at 01 837 9964 or 01 809 2566..

Parents and those caring for young children can also contact us on 01 809 2166 for urgent advice if they suspect accidental poisoning has occurred.  Currently, this service for the public is available from 8am to 10pm, every day.  At all other times contact your GP service or a hospital emergency department for advice.  Click here for GP co-op telephone numbers.  All telephone calls are recorded and data stored electronically for quality assurance and training purposes.  

The Centre also collects and analyses epidemiological data on acute poisoning.  We produce an annual report each year and can provide more detailed data to regulatory authorities on request.  Click here to read our most recent annual report or visit the Publications section to see older reports.

In addition, the Centre is the contracting body for TOXBASE, an on-line clinical toxicology database used by hospital emergency departments and intensive care units.  We liaise with the database administrators in the UK to ensure that relevant Irish products are listed on TOXBASE.

Manufacturers should provide the National Poisons Information Centre with information on their products to enable the NPIC to provide advice in a medical emergency. This role is assigned to the NPIC in the Chemicals (Amendment) Act 2010 and the Plant Protection Products and Biocides Regulations (Statutory Instruments 624 and 625 of 2001).  The information provided to the NPIC should include the chemical composition of mixtures placed on the market. 

Who can use the service?

Doctors and healthcare professionals who can contact us 24 hours a day, every day of the year. 

The Public Poisons Information Line (01 809 2166) is a service for the general public and is aimed particularly at parents and those caring for young children.  We can rapidly tell you if you need to seek urgent medical attention for your child if you suspect accidental poisoning has occurred.  This new service is available between 8am and 10pm, every day.  Outside these times you should contact your GP service or a hospital emergency department.

When is the service available?

Our telephone information service for doctors and healthcare professionals is available 24/7 and 365 days a year.  Our own Poisons Information Officers answer enquiries between 8am and 10pm, and calls outside these hours are automatically diverted to the UK National Poisons Information Service.  Callers do not have to pay any extra telephone charges for calls diverted to the UK (these are paid by Beaumont Hospital).

The Public Poisons Information Line is available between 8am and 10pm, every day.  Outside these times you should contact your GP service or a hospital emergency department.

Who answers enquiries?

Enquiries are answered by Poisons Information Officers who are science graduates with post-graduate training in Medical Toxicology.  Complex or clinical questions can be referred to our Medical Director.  The Poisons Information Officers are responsible for providing accurate and specialised information about acute and chronic toxicological issues, to assist in the management of poisoned patients.  They are not qualified to make clinical decisions regarding admission or discharge of a patient. 

All staff participate in continuing professional development by attending CPD meetings with staff from the UK National Poisons Information Service, by conducting research and presenting findings at the Annual Congress of the European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT) and by discussing unusual cases at staff meetings.

Confidentiality

All records of Poison Center calls, like medical records, are kept confidential.  Telephone calls to the Poison Center are recorded, and data stored electronically, for quality assurance and training purposes.  Enquiry data is shared with the UK National Poisons Information Service to ensure continuity of patient care. 

Enquiries are logged on paper and on a computer database (UKPID).  This database provides general information for national statistics e.g. age and sex of the patient, substances/products, the county where the call originated, outcome.  Anonymised information may be provided to agencies that regulate consumer safety issues but confidential details such as callers names and telephone numbers are not released.

Confidential product information provided to us by a manufacturer is stored securely and is only used to provide medical advice on the treatment of poisoning.