WIREDGOV

Substantial increase of kits issued through national naloxone programme.

Official figures showing a two thirds increase in the number of naloxone kits issued has been welcomed by the Scottish Government.

Scotland became the first country in the world to introduce a national take home naloxone programme in November 2010, which is co-ordinated and funded by the Scottish Government.

The kit allows trained individuals, families and friends to reverse an opiate o verdose by administering naloxone, providing more time for an ambulance to arrive.

Figures show that 6,472 ‘take home’ naloxone kits were issued in 2013-14, an increase of 2,594 or 66.9 per cent compared to 3,878 in 2012-13 in the first year of the programme.

Community Safety Minister Roseanna Cunningham said:

“One drug related death is one too many. Our world leading programme for take home naloxone, alongside life-saving training sends a clear message that lives matter, and will help those who may not have engaged with drugs services before.

“While problem drug use among the general adult population and young people has decreased, there is still an older group of people who now also face a range of other health problems placing them at increased risk of overdose and death. We are determined to tackle this and support these vulnerable people. The naloxone programme is a key part of this.

“This programme empowers individuals, families and friends to reverse potentially fatal opiate overdoses and save lives.”

Dave Liddell, Director of Scottish Drugs Forum said:

“The latest figures highlight the excellent work being undertaken across Scotland to ensure that as far as possible, naloxone is available in every case when an opiate overdose is witnessed.

The evidence suggest that 10 per cent of the naloxone that is supplied will be used to reverse an overdose and it therefore vital that – even with these very encouraging figures – we continue to encourage naloxone distribution and training in its use, to become a standard part of what services offer to people who use opiates.”

Roy Robertson, Chair of the National Forum on Drug Related Deaths said:

"The Scottish investment in a national programme of naloxone provision responded to a critical problem of drug related deaths. Any response must seek to better connect people across public services and naloxone is a vital and integrated part of that. Evaluation is important and today's figures are part of that. At a time when many Western European countries and part of the USA and Australia are turning their attention to naloxone these results are likely to energise clinicians, policy makers and politicians, all of whom are concerned with the tragedy of any death.

These results will have a lasting impact and will be seen in time to be a turning point in practical, evidence based, interventions in an area of medicine too often seen as impossible to manage."