Last month Release carried out a study to asses the provision of take home Naloxone in the UK by requesting information from all local authorities under the freedom of information act. Of all 151 authorities, 117 provided information for how many kits they distributed over the 2016/2017 financial year. The figures are disappointing finding for more than 70 of the areas the amount lay between 1-20% and for 18 there was no distribution at all. Somerset Council takes the lead but is still achieving less than 50% coverage. On average just 12 kits are being issued per 100 users.
In 2016 there were 1,867 Opiate related deaths in the UK, the highest number since records began in 1993.
A successful national take home Naloxone program has already been successfully implemented in Scotland. As we enter the new year it is imperative that England looks to do the same to prevent another rise in Opiate related deaths.
One of the many recommendations is for local authorities to monitor the take-home Naloxone provision in their area, including the number of kits dispensed, the number used and the monitoring of expiry dates for recalls and reissues.
Halo For Naloxone
Halo provides a simple solution for monitoring Naloxone provisions. Add details of Naloxone carriers and when kits have been issued. Use filtering to track expiry dates or show carriers in need of training. By recording all known overdoses and potential usage you can easily monitor the effectiveness of your programme and Halo’s graphing clearly shows your progress over time. Take a look at our Halo Naloxone page for more information or to arrange a demo.
More information on Release’s survey can be found at: https://www.release.org.uk
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