‘ I plan to put lived experience at the centre of what I do and one of my first aims is to expand our peer-led naloxone distribution programme .’ a mother who tragically lost her son to a heroin overdose . On a day when we were presented with a lot of statistical information this was a powerful reminder of the real people those numbers represent .
Julie McCartney and Lauren Sloey from the Scottish Ambulance Service discussed their role in widening the provision of naloxone ( 40 per cent of those receiving a kit were not in treatment ) and George Charlton spoke about his own experiences of childhood trauma and drug use , the stigma experienced by people who use drugs , and how this led to his development of multiple peer naloxone programmes .
For the final session of the day , I joined the workshop presenters for a panel Q & A session . Delegates used this opportunity to ask the panel for practical tips on extending the availability of naloxone , and questions included how to engage the whole drug service team in the supply of naloxone , how to get more pharmacies on board , and why it isn ’ t mandatory across England , Wales and Northern Ireland for all police officers to carry naloxone .
Our aim for the day had been achieved . We had come
NALOXONE AND THE POLICE
Chief inspector Jason Meacham from Durham Police gave a presentation on the introduction of naloxone in police custody suites . Asked about opposition in some forces to officers carrying naloxone , he said he felt these concerns were unfounded but that he would be happy to contact any officers to discuss their objections . Having recently implemented a police naloxone pilot for Turning Point in Somerset , I was able to share my experience of the challenges we faced and how we overcame barriers to go on to train and issue naloxone to almost 150 officers . It was such a positive end to the conference and made me optimistic that there would be very real outcomes from the day .
together and shared learning and innovation , and I hope all left with ideas and inspiration to carry forward in our work . Two clear messages stood out from the day – the importance of collaboration and the sharing of knowledge , and the need to collaborate with those who are best placed to get naloxone to people furthest from treatment services . Whether that be the ambulance service , A & E
departments , the police or those with lived and living experience , we need to work in partnership if we want to reduce these tragic and avoidable drug deaths .
All the presenters ’ slides are available here : https :// online . flippingbook . com / view / 387366279 / 23 /
Deb Hussey is national safer lives lead at Turning Point
USING INSIGHT FROM PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS TO INCREASE CARRIAGE RATES
Dr Jenny Scott , a researcher from Bristol University who also works for Turning Point as a non-medical prescriber , spoke about a project that aims to identify barriers to carrying naloxone and develop solutions to overcome them . In Somerset a group of Turning Point service users worked with staff and university researchers to look at barriers to naloxone carriage .
They identified three key areas . One was the practical issue of carrying a kit that some felt was bulky , with a possible solution widening the availability of naloxone nasal spray . Another was the risk of being identified as someone who uses drugs – they felt a campaign to widen naloxone accessibility and acceptability to the general public would go some way to address this . The third issue was availability – not everyone lives near a local provider , particularly in rural areas , and not everyone knows other places they can get a kit .
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