The Advisory Council of the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has reviewed the evidence on the provision and availability of naloxone in the UK, a medicine which can temporarily reverse the effects of opioids and is used as an emergency treatment for people who overdose on these drugs. The findings of this review, and recommendations to optimise the use of naloxone are presented in this report.
People exiting jail or prison are at very high risk for opioid-related overdose. Opioid-related overdose is the most frequent cause of death among people recently released from prison.
The intersecting drug toxicity and COVID-19 crises are creating challenges for harm reduction and naloxone programs, requiring us to adapt our practice in order to maintain the health of clients, the community and staff. Naloxone distribution remains a vital lifesaving service. The ways in which programs are conducted must take into consideration up-to-date information about COVID-19, and related infection prevention and control recommendations.
Release have developed best practice guidance for the provision of naloxone. Building on the findings from Release’s research on naloxone in England, Release hosted the Naloxone Steering Group 2019 in April 2019, in partnership with the National Addiction Centre at King’s College London. The objective of the steering group was to get key stakeholders together for a day to discuss some of the main aspects of naloxone provision in the UK and to produce guidelines on the provision of naloxone for people who might experience or witness an opioid overdose.
If someone you care about just survived an overdose, you’re probably looking for what to do next to help the person and yourself. The person may be your child, partner, parent, friend, or co-worker, and your relationship may be intense and involved or more limited. You might feel terrified, angry, relieved, helpless, grateful, defeated, all of those, or some other combination of feelings. You may have just discovered that they use opioids; you may have known for a long time and have been through this before; or you may use with the person and know a lot about their use. You may have been the one to rescue them from overdose.
Best practice guidance on Take Home Naloxone (THN) for prison leavers from the Forward Trust presented as part of their ‘Pulse’ series of briefings.