It would be cool if I can just explain our naloxone pouches and how we rolled them out . Everyone loves a backstory , right ? So how did these pouches become a thing ?
Chris Rintoul , our harm reduction and innovation lead , bought the idea to the table when he joined Cranstoun , and there ’ s a very real reason why these kits have been made the way they have . And that is that the reality of administering naloxone can sometimes be different to what
Handy naloxone pouches containing everything needed to make administration risk-free are a potential game-changer , says Alistair Bryant
you see in basic training .
Quite often naloxone administration happens in quite tough environments – alleyways or waste ground , cramped hostel bedrooms , or squats . It could also be dark , there could be glass on the floor , or even uncapped needles . All of these added risks for someone who is already responding to an opioid overdose can make the situation ten times harder .
So what we decided to do at Cranstoun was create a pouch that contained enough equipment to support the person administering naloxone in one of these risky situations . We decided that our pouches should contain a number of useful items , which are kept together for ease of access .
There ’ s a high-powered LED torch , a face shield for giving rescue breaths , instructions on how to administer naloxone and naloxone itself . We have two types of pouch , one containing nasal naloxone , and the other injectable .
One of the best things about the project was the big team effort .
Chris Rintoul brought the original idea , and Ethypharm donated 2,000 naloxone kits , which means 1,000 people will have access to a fully stocked pouch . Our Worcester peer harm reduction team , PACKS ( peer-assisted community knowledge & support ), helped get them all packed up for distribution – it was really special for PACKS to be involved in this as they had all lost someone to overdose and really enjoy being part of the bigger picture in preventing drug related deaths .
The passion the peer team bought to the table was quite amazing . You could really tell these pouches meant something personally to them . Without them , 2,000 would still be sat in boxes and I would be facing a telling off ! So from me and all the people who now have a pouch , nice one
16 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • APRIL 2023 WWW . DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS . COM