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Ending Discrimination in Mental Health
TURNING THE CRISIS TAP OFF
Thursday 13 October 2016
Amba Hotel Marble Arch, London W1H 7EH
Men of African and Caribbean heritage are
up to 6.6 times more likely to be admitted as
inpatients or detained under the Mental Health
Act, indicating a systemic failure to provide
effective crisis care for these groups (Mental
Health Taskforce report 2016). It is one of the
deepest and most discriminatory social failures
of our education, social health and criminal
justice services.
Add your voice to a host of influential professionals in a
lively and challenging debate which will help shape future
best practice across mental health and public services.
For details of the full agenda and to book your space at the conference visit
www.minoritymentalhealth.co.uk
or call 020 7324 4330 to speak to a member of our team.
PRoMoTIoNAl FEATuRE
Be prepared!
Train your staff to empower service users
with life-saving naloxone, says David Swain
In the 1838 report to the House of Commons on causes of death, the coroners in
England and Wales for the preceding year recorded that a third of all deaths were
shown to be attributable to laudanum and other opium preparations. These were
either by accidental overdose or substitution for another medicine, and needless to
say, caused a ripple of concern among politicians.
In 2014 the Office for National Statistics recorded a total of 3,346 drug-related
deaths across England and Wales, 1,786 of which were attributable to opiates and
which sadly represented an increase from the previous year. However, the figures
for Wales revealed a slightly different story, with drug-related deaths in Wales
falling by 16 per cent from the previous year.
20 | drinkanddrugsnews | October 2016
Why were things different in Wales? The reasons might include a greater
acceptance of harm minimisation as the first step to recovery, thereby encouraging
users not yet ready to embrace abstinence to engage with services. However, one
major factor has undoubtedly been the national take-home naloxone (THN)
scheme. Started in 2011, it has systematically trained service users, their families
and professionals (such as hostel staff) to identify signs of opiate overdose, apply
basic life support and administer intramuscular naloxone. Its take-up has been
huge and THN is now an established part of the Welsh treatment landscape. Its
ethos continues to be, in the words of Sarz Maxwell, consultant psychiatrist in
Chicago, a desire to ‘flood the streets with naloxone’.
Of course, there are always naysayers: ‘Surely naloxone will encourage users to
engage in more risky behaviour knowing that the antidote is available?’ There is no
evidence that this is the case. ‘What if they give it to someone who isn’t in opiate
overdose?’ In the absence of an overdose, the medication is inert. ‘Aren’t we just
condoning drug use?’ Oh, please.
If handing out naloxone challenges the sensibilities of some, let’s look at what
we’re achieving. Of course there is the obvious gain in lives saved, but there’s the
sense of control being handed back to people who feel they have none, and the
power to save a life.
Gearing up services to be able to train clients and their families to understand and
be able to use naloxone is a simple matter, but it requires trainers who are able to
deliver properly. Pulse Addictions provides take-home naloxone training for staff, either
as a standalone session or as part of its course on risk management in substance
misuse. This comprehensive training will enable staff to empower their clients to
respond in emergency situations, reducing the tragedy of drug-related deaths.
Discover how Pulse Addictions can enhance your services at www.pulseaddictions.com
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com