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The force began having naloxone onsite at its custody suites after a spate of opiaterelated overdoses in 2018-19 , and it ’ s now offered on release to anyone over the age of 18 who has a problematic drug issue , has had one in the past , or lives with someone who has one . ‘ It ’ s no strings attached ,’ temporary chief inspector Jason Meecham tells DDN . ‘ They ’ re offered an opportunity to watch a video on how to assemble a kit but they don ’ t have to , and we run through a quick checklist of basic first aid stuff . We also provide them with details of local treatment services , but there ’ s no catch .’
So does everyone who ’ s offered it accept ? ‘ No , they don ’ t ,’ he says , and while the force is looking at ways to drive up acceptance
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levels they ’ re also not expecting to be ‘ giving away dozens ’ every week . ‘ Some people don ’ t want one . They ’ ve either already got a kit – and we ’ re more than happy for them to have another – or it ’ s not what they want , so we ’ re working with the county council to try to drive that up . The majority of people we ’ re in contact with are also in contact with local treatment services , which are very good , so they ’ ve probably already got access to it . There ’ s only a limited number of individuals we see in custody who don ’ t deal with GPs or drug treatment services .’
These , however , are precisely the people who need naloxone the most , and overall provision has ‘ gone fantastically well , as you ’ d expect from a drug that ’ s simple , proven and effective ,’ he says . ‘ We
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A COMMUTER READS A COPY of a newspaper while waiting on the subway , a pharmacy carries posters in its window , Spanish language adverts on buses . In 2017 New York ' s Department of Health conducted an advertising campaign urging people to carry Naloxone . Photos : Richard B Levine / Alamy
now have a stock of it in all of our custody suites throughout the county ’.
If we ’ re going to create a widespread culture of supplying naloxone in custody suites a key element is effective communication between forces to get it out there , he says . ‘ I ’ ve got a phone call later this week with another force who are looking to introduce it , and what we also need is more widespread understanding over the legality of it , the guidance , the litigation issues , safety .’
While the force ’ s frontline staff could see the need for naloxone on the streets and had been asking for it , with some custody staff there had been ‘ a bit of a lack of understanding , which is to be expected . We just had to provide that clarity over the safety , the integrity of it , the efficacy of it , just going over those worries people had about something unknown . But overwhelmingly it was , “ We want this and can we as an organisation make it happen ?” For the staff , it ’ s been overwhelmingly positive .’
One important factor for any other force looking to introduce it is Durham Constabulary ’ s close
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working with the public health team at the county council , he says . ‘ Other forces could look at how that relationship is managed . We took a partnership approach and really worked hand-in-hand , and we really learned a lot because they were very familiar with naloxone . At the moment it ’ s about trying to ensure a continuous supply from the county council , and trying to ensure that when cops see someone in the street possessing it it ’ s not grounds for a stop-andsearch . We have to make sure they know what it is even if they don ’ t carry it themselves – raising that level of awareness and confidence .’
But if we ’ re going to be successful in making sure naloxone is in the hands of everyone who needs it – whenever they need it – then people working in the sector need to be the standard bearers , Dave Targett believes . ‘ Ultimately , it starts with us . I was at a drugrelated deaths conference a couple of years ago and when someone asked how many people were carrying naloxone only half a dozen or so put their hands up . Those are professionals in the sector who weren ’ t carrying it . We are the carriers of the message in the first instance , and I think we have to act how we want others to act . You can ’ t use it if you haven ’ t got it , and I think the best way to get people to carry it is for us to lead the charge .’ DDN
This article has been produced with support from Ethypharm , which has not influenced the content in any way .
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