27 August 2026: The National Poisons Information Centre (NPIC) at Beaumont Hospital is today marking 60 years of service, having grown from its beginnings at Jervis Street Hospital in 1966 to become a vital national resource providing specialist advice on poisoning to healthcare professionals and members of the public across Ireland.
Based at Beaumont Hospital, the NPIC responds to more than 11,000 enquiries each year involving medicines, drugs, chemicals, household and agricultural products, plants and other potentially harmful substances. The Centre provides a 24-hour telephone service to healthcare professionals, 365 days a year, and operates a Public Poisons Information Line from 8am to 10pm daily.
The Centre’s specialist, evidence-based advice enables approximately 80% of cases to be managed safely at home or in the community, while around one in five requires assessment in an emergency department.
Last year, more than 55% of calls were from members of the public, with approximately 40% from healthcare professionals. Around 60% of cases involved children under the age of 15. More than 60% involved accidental poisoning, while one in five related to a medication error.
Established in 1966 by the Department of Health and the Irish Medical Association, the NPIC provides specialist advice to healthcare professionals treating acute poisoning throughout Ireland, as well as advice to members of the public following suspected accidental poisoning. The Centre also analyses poisoning data to identify emerging trends, support clinical treatment and inform wider public health responses.
The 60-year milestone is being marked at an anniversary event at Beaumont Hospital, bringing together current and former colleagues, healthcare leaders and national partner organisations to celebrate the Centre’s history and its continuing contribution to patient care and public health across Ireland.
The anniversary programme includes contributions from Dr Joe Tracey, former Clinical Director of the NPIC, reflecting on the history and development of the Centre; Dr Kieran Connolly, volunteer expert mycologist with the NPIC, discussing poisonous mushrooms found in Ireland; and Dr Saja Alhawal, Research Fellow, Children’s Health Ireland, addressing poisoning risks affecting children.
Dr Edel Duggan, Clinical Director of the National Poisons Information Centre, said:
“For six decades, the National Poisons Information Centre has provided clear, evidence-based guidance for over 500,000 poisoning enquiries to healthcare professionals and members of the public when poisoning occurs.
“Our advice helps ensure that people receive the appropriate care following a suspected poisoning, whether they can be safely monitored at home or require urgent medical assessment. The medicines, chemicals and other products people encounter continue to change, making access to specialist poisons advice as important today as it was when the Centre was first established.
“This anniversary is also an opportunity to recognise the generations of staff and specialist advisers who have shaped the service, alongside the healthcare professionals and partner organisations that continue to support our work.”
Anne Coyle, CEO of Beaumont Hospital, said:
“Beaumont Hospital is proud to be home to the National Poisons Information Centre and to mark 60 years of this important national service. From its base at Beaumont, the Centre’s expertise reaches into homes, hospitals and healthcare settings across Ireland, supporting patients, families and healthcare professionals every day.
“This milestone is an opportunity to recognise the generations of staff whose expertise and dedication have built and sustained a service that continues to make an important contribution to patient care and public health across Ireland.”
ENDS
Issued by Murray Group on behalf of Beaumont Hospital
For more information, please contact:
- Corona Joyce, Murray, cjoyce@murraygroup.ie, 086 370 1947
- Amy McMahon, Murray, amcmahon@murraygroup.ie, 083 896 3106
Note to Editor
National Poisons Information Centre
Established in 1966 and based at Beaumont Hospital, the National Poisons Information Centre provides specialist, evidence-based advice on the treatment of acute poisoning.
The NPIC provides a 24-hour service to assist doctors and healthcare professionals in the management of poisoning. The NPIC also operates a telephone information line for healthcare professionals and members of the public and provides prompt, evidence-based treatment advice if poisoning occurs.
The secondary role of the NPIC is to collect and interpret epidemiological data on acute poisoning. The Centre monitors poisoning trends, informs treatment protocols and is the contracting body for TOXBASE®, the clinical toxicology database used by emergency departments and intensive care units. The NPIC team includes six specialists in poisons information who all have post-graduate training in Medical Toxicology. The Clinical Director, a consultant anaesthetist, works closely with the team to provide specialised information about acute poisoning.
Beaumont Hospital
Beaumont Hospital, incorporating St. Joseph’s Raheny, is a large Level 4 academic teaching hospital and provides the highest level of medical care 24/7, offering advanced, highly specialised care, critical care facilities, a 24-hour Emergency Department (ED) and complex medical procedures. It is the principal teaching hospital for the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and enjoys close links with Dublin City University in addition to other academic institutions in respect of training and research.
With 851 beds, including 30 dedicated critical care beds, and handling over 220,000 outpatient appointments each year, Beaumont Hospital is committed to the highest standards of patient care. It is internationally recognised and certified by several international accreditation bodies including the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI), the European Stroke Organisation (ESO) and Eurospine.
Beaumont Hospital also hosts a number of Centres of Excellence including Ireland’s largest National Neuroscience Centre, Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre, and Ireland’s National Kidney Transplant Service (NKTS). Beaumont Hospital also supports a range of other complex National Surgical and Acute Care Services including:
- National Cochlear Implantation Centre
- National Thrombectomy Service
- National Poisons Information Centre
- National Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Service for Solid Organ Transplantation (NHISSOT)
- National Alpha 1 Antitrypsin deficiency centre
- Beaumont Kidney Centre: the largest provider of renal replacement therapy in Ireland
- Irish Centres for Genetic Lung Disease, Rare Kidney Disease and Familial Pulmonary Fibrosis
- National Neuromuscular Respiratory Failure Centre
- Complex endoscopic interventions including Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD), complex biliary endoscopy and interventional endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)