A DECREASE in drug-related deaths within Dumfries and Galloway in 2023 is very welcome, but the commitment to try and prevent all such deaths is unchanged.
Latest data showing 12 deaths in 2023 compared to 37 the year before comes amid a range of initiatives which are continuing to demonstrate positive results.
Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership Acting Chief Officer Nicole Hamlet said: “Any decrease in the number of drug-related deaths is a move in the right direction.
“However, it’s vital that everyone recognises that drug deaths are preventable, and that behind these statistics there are families and friends grieving the loss of a loved one, and other families worrying about their loved one’s substance use.
“I’d also highlight that service staff who forge relationships with clients can also be extremely affected by a loss of life in these circumstances.”
A great deal of work continues to take place around implementing the MAT (Medically Assisted Treatment) Standards for Drugs, which aims to provide people with a consistently high quality standard of service.
A key objective is to ensure people receive quicker access to services and that they are enabled to start treatment on the same day as their appointment.
Among other NHS specialist services, Dumfries and Galloway has the highest proportion of prescriptions for Buvidal, a safer alternative to Methadone.
Since March 2022, methadone prescribing has dropped from 60% to 43%, oral buprenorphine has decreased from 27% to 20%, and long-acting injectable buprenorphine (Buvidal) has increased from 13% to 38%.
There is an Assertive Outreach Team which is a partnership between the NHS Specialist Drug and Alcohol service and the Third Sector drug and alcohol service. This team will actively seek people who have been admitted to hospital for a drugs overdose and provide them with harm reduction advice and work with them to access appropriate treatment and other services.
Peer Naloxone champions have been providing training and Naloxone kits for anyone to use in an emergency for a suspected opiate overdose in addition to NHS Specialist service and Third Sector partner.
In 2023/24, a total of 707 take home Naloxone kits were issued to people who use drugs, family members and staff. Meanwhile, 252 police officers and ten fire officers have been supplied with Naloxone to use in an emergency overdose situation.
The Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (ADP) has also set up a Local Early Warning Group. The purpose of the group is to monitor, assess and respond to alerts relating to potential emerging drug related harms in Dumfries and Galloway.
The ADP also have a residential rehab pathway which enables people with drug or alcohol problems to work with their service provider to secure a placement at a residential rehab unit, subject to available funding.
Data such as increases in drug-related hospital admissions continues to inform activity to limit drug-related harm, and focuses efforts to build on the success seen across recent months in this wide range of approaches.
In seeking to tackle drug related deaths and drug related harm it is also critical to ensure that people have the right building blocks in place for good health which includes having good employment, education and housing and enabling children to have the best start in life with a particular focus on reducing poverty. Work in these areas is being progressed by Community Planning Partners locally.
Approaches to care delivered also need to be trauma informed and we must tackle the stigma people face whilst living with what is a health condition. These are all key areas of focus for the Alcohol and Drug Partnership.
Meanwhile, messaging continues to promote the advice:
- Don’t take drugs alone – many suspected fatal overdoses have involved someone taking drugs alone. Taking drugs alone increases the chance of fatally overdosing, because there is no one to call for help in an emergency.
- Don’t take a combination of drugs, drugs that haven’t been prescribed and or drugs that may have been bought over the internet. This includes alcohol and prescribed medication. Mixing drugs greatly increases the risk of overdose, particularly if you don’t know exactly what they are or what effect they will have.
- Don’t try new substances, increase or reduce the quantity of drugs or alcohol being regularly taken without support from your GP or Drug and Alcohol treatment Service. If trying any new substances, try a very small amount at first, so you know how it might affect you.
- Get a Naloxone kit. Naloxone is a medication that temporarily reverses the effects of a heroin or other opioid overdose and allows time for someone to seek emergency help. Friends and family can also get a Naloxone kit
- Dial 999 immediately if you believe that someone is having an overdose or if you feel unwell after taking any drugs. When someone has overdosed, they can look and sound like they are simply asleep; snoring can be an indication the person is having breathing difficulties. Always check when you hear snoring that the person is actually asleep.
Friends and family are also being urged to help by encouraging their loved ones to follow these steps and by encouraging them to seek help either from their GP or from local drug and alcohol treatment services.
Dumfries and Galloway Alcohol and Drug Partnership Strategic Lead Jackie Davies said: “We know that people are taking different drugs in combination which greatly increases the risk to them.
“In particular, we are seeing evidence of people taking opioids like heroin and methadone along with illicit tablets they believe are benzodiazepines (often called benzos, valium or vallies) that are bought online or on the streets.”
These combinations of drugs can have a sedating or toxic effect on the body, and people who use drugs are urged not to mix drugs or to take street tablets, no matter how long they have been taking drugs.”
Jackie added: “People who use drugs have been reminded it is better not to try unfamiliar substances. If, however, they are going to take a drug that is unfamiliar or from a new supply, they should try a very small amount at first to see how it affects them.
“We know the devastating effect that drug deaths have on families and communities.
“Drug deaths can be preventable and that’s why we want to make sure that we tell people about the risks to them and how they can get help.
“Every single drug-related death is a cause for major regret, and there is a determination from within the ADP to continue to work across Dumfries and Galloway with partners, people who use drugs and their families to reduce the risk of drug-related deaths as much as we possibly can.”
Further information on other websites and local drug and alcohol services that can help, along with other more detailed guidance, can be found www.stopdgdrugdeaths.co.uk
