Reducing Drug Related Deaths and other Drug Related Harms

The focus of this strand of the National Drug Strategy is on reducing the harm sustained by drug users as a result of their drug use. The aim behind harm reduction initiatives of this kind is to assist users to remain healthy and alive until they are ready and willing to cease their drug use and enter treatment, and ultimately achieve a drug-free life, whilst protecting the health of the general population by contributing to a reduction of the transmission of blood borne infections and reducing exposure to drug related litter.

Drug Related Deaths

Drug Related deaths are divided into two groups:

1. Immediate Drug Related Deaths (IDRDs) – e.g. those caused by overdose
2. Delayed Drug Related Deaths (DDRDs) – e.g. those caused by HIV, Hepatitis, Bacterial infections such as tetanus, septicaemia, gangrene etc.

BSafe Blackpool has made concerted efforts to reduce Immediate Drug Related deaths in our area. Initially this effort was prompted by the Government National Drug Strategy Target to:

Reduce immediate drug related deaths by 20% by 2004, against a 1998 baseline.

Blackpool met this target, reducing deaths by 30% between 1998 and 2004. However, 2005 saw an increase in immediate drug related deaths and a change in the factors that characterised these cases. This has presented a renewed challenge to be met through the Reducing Drug Related Deaths Action Plan and Blackpool Harm Reduction Forum.

Non-routine attendance of Police at drugs overdose.

Concerns that witnesses to a drugs overdose would not call an ambulance or fear of police involvement led to the development of a protocol between the ambulance and police services.

Supervised Consumption of Opiate Substitutes.

Life Signs Monitoring System.

Confidential Inquiry into Drug Related Deaths.

Following the Department of Health (2003) guidance to develop local Confidential Inquiries into Immediate Drug Related Deaths in order to inform improvement of services for drug users locally, and thereby to reduce the number of Drug Related Deaths, Blackpool is currently undertaking an Inquiry into deaths between 2003 – 2006.

The guidance envisages improvements being achieved through the ability of Confidential Inquiries to identify:

Risk factors that may contribute to current levels of Drug Related Death in a given geographical locale.

And evaluate:

	Communication between different agencies in contact with drug users who die
	Achievement of standards for care of people with problem drug use as described in the national guidelines

Thus allowing for:

Practical local recommendations to be made about services for drug users.

Find out more about the Blackpool Confidential Inquiry into Immediate Drug Related Deaths.

First Aid Training – for drug service users, parents and carers

2006 will see a renewed programme of first aid training for those who may witness or be first on the scene of a drugs overdose. These training courses aim to identify the signs of overdose – opiate and stimulant, and equip the participant to respond appropriately to the situation by calling an ambulance and administering first aid until it arrives.

These courses will tailored to the groups needs and experience and will be evaluated.

To find out more see the following:

Acknowledgements to the Oxfordshire User Team (OUT) and DAAT for sharing their experience and resources developed through the Outsmart Overdose Project.

Harm Reduction Forum

The newly formed Harm Reduction Forum will address both Immediate and Delayed Drug Related Deaths and the wider drug related harms that contribute to ill health among drug users. For example this would include viral and bacterial infections, the long terms effects of stimulant use.

This group will undertake a Harm Reduction Needs Assessment to identify additional priorities and work areas.

Needle Exchange Services

Needle Exchange services are currently under review with a view to expansion beyond the specialist service and 7 pharmacy based needle exchanges.

All services in the Needle Exchange programme display this sign.

The Specialist Needle Exchange Service can be found in the portacabin at the rear of 162 Whitegate Drive.

Information for staff and Service Users

This extension of our focus can be seen in the Reducing Drug Related Deaths and Reducing Drug Related Harm staff briefings and users resources . These aim to increase the capacity among our staff and volunteers to support and advise clients and to communicate information directly to out clients. These resources aim to supplement nationally available resources and are tailored to issues of drug use within Blackpool. To do so they draw on national and international evidence to meet the Blackpool agenda and our concerns locally.

Local Contact :

Dr Teresa Young
Drug Related Death Researcher
Tel: 01253 651245
Email: Teresa.Young@blackpoolpct.nhs.uk

More Resources

The following resources can be ordered, free of charge, from the National Treatment Agency Website - www.nta.nhs.uk - following links to ‘Publications’ and ‘Drug Related Deaths’ and ‘Order Form’.

	Credit card sized leaflet aimed at drug misusers coming out of prison. Contains information about changes in tolerance after a break from drugs, the signs of overdose and first aid. Overdose Leaflet 2		Credit card sized leaflet containing simple, short information on drug-taking, the signs of overdose, first aid and emergency action.   Overdose Leaflet 1
Contains information about overdose myths; what to do and what not to do if you see someone overdose and how to reduce the risk of overdosing Overdose Leaflet 3		Contains information for injecting drug users to try and reduce the risks of getting HIV and hepatitis B and C Injecting Leaflet
Adam Encourages people to get training so they can save someone's life after an overdose (Adam saved his friend's life when he overdosed).		Steve Warns drug misusers of the risks they are taking (Steve recovered from his overdose but his friends had left him for dead).