New ADDER Accelerator funded programme to reduce drug-related deaths launches in Liverpool
10th August 2022
Wednesday 10 August 2022: A new ADDER Accelerator funded programme is launching today with the aim of drastically increasing the availability of the life-saving opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone in Liverpool.
Drug, alcohol and mental health charity With You has teamed up with Liverpool City Council and Merseyside Police to launch the ‘peer to peer naloxone’ programme in the city centre.
Naloxone is an opioid antagonist. It works by rapidly binding to opioid receptors on the brain, preventing opiates from activating them. Anyone who overdoses on an opiate should still be seen by emergency services, but naloxone buys people vital time until that support arrives.
The ‘Peer to peer naloxone programme’ is a model for naloxone distribution which doesn’t rely on people accessing drug treatment services. In the programme, a team of ‘peers’ (people with lived experience of drug and alcohol issues) proactively take naloxone out on the streets, approaching people who use opiates. They will give out the drug and train people in how to use it there and then.
The latest ONS statistics show drug related deaths in England and Wales are at record levels. There were 4,859 deaths in 2021 with approximately half involving an opiate. The North West of England recorded 161.2 deaths per million people. Meanwhile, a 2017/18 report by charity Release found just 16% of people who use opiates had been given take home naloxone.
Sarah Humphreys, Contract Manager at With You in Liverpool says: “Every drug-related death is avoidable with the right support. We know that the people who are most at risk of dying from a drug related cause are not currently in drug treatment. The peer to peer naloxone programme allows us to proactively go out into the city, engage with people where they feel comfortable and save lives.”
The naloxone peer to peer programme is part of With You’s ADDER Accelerator funded work which also includes a needle exchange programme, drug support and treatment for out of court disposals, youth offender referrals and prison releases as well as a sex workers healthcare hub.
ENDS
Notes to editors
For more information and spokespeople requests, please contact the With You press office:
pressoffice@wearewithyou.org.uk / 07811 045876
About With You
With You is a leading UK drug, alcohol and mental health charity. Each year we work with more than 100,000 people in over 120 locations across Scotland and England, providing a free and confidential service without judgement to people experiencing issues with drugs, alcohol or mental health.