NHS Dumfries and Galloway and third-sector partners gathered together in the week of International Overdose Awareness Day (31 August) to commemorate lives lost in Dumfries and Galloway.
Representatives from NHS Dumfries and Galloway Specialist Drug and Alcohol Service (SDAS), We Are With You and other partners, joined to place 12 pairs of empty shoes on the steps of The Midsteeple in Dumfries, one for each of the 12 people in the region who died in 2023 due to drug use, and many more pairs of shoes for those lost in previous years.
There are many partners who work together across our region to provide support to those affected by alcohol and drug use, and provide vital harm reduction support including NHS SDAS, We Are With You, D&G Recovery Together, NHS Focus Wellness and Recovery Hub and Alcohol and Drug Support (ADS) South West Scotland. SDAS and their partners have also begun to work more closely with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for which a representative showed support at the memorial on their behalf.
Cate Meagher, Team Leader for the Focus Wellness and Recovery Hub within NHS SDAS, said: “International Overdose Awareness day is a way of showing our respect to those who have lost their lives to drugs and for their families and loved ones.
“SDAS and partners who work in Drug and Alcohol Services in the region have arranged this memorial to take place at the end of a week of events to educate and raise awareness about drug use and drug deaths. There has been a particular focus on Naloxone this year so that people in the region know about it and as many as possible know how to use it. A short training course on how to use this medication has been available to staff and the public this week and is also available throughout the year.”
Valerie White, Director of Public Health at NHS D&G and Co-Vice Chair of the region’s Alcohol and Drugs Partnership attended. She said: “I have attended some of the events this week that SDAS and partners have organised and it is really great to see how they are working together to prevent deaths due to drugs, drug related harm and support people in recovery. One of the last events I attended was the Midsteeple memorial which was a very visual and moving way to highlight the lives lost in our region due to drug use. The memorial provided an opportunity to reflect on and acknowledge the impact for individuals, families and friends.
“People who use drugs face a lot of stigma and it is important that we challenge this and understand that this is a health issue and show kindness and understanding as we would with other people managing a long term health issue. Reducing stigma would empower more people to ask for help and support and also support people in recovery.
“The Dumfries and Galloway Alcohol and Drug Partnership is committed to working together to improve and save lives and tackle stigma”.
The week of events for the awareness day included training on the use of Naloxone to staff and the public. Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is a medication which counteracts the effect of an overdose of opioid drugs such as morphine, fentanyl or heroin. Carried by some police officers and firefighters in Dumfries and Galloway it is also available to other staff, support workers and the general public, including people who use drugs, and their friends and family, as it can be used safely after a short training course.
Dumfries and Galloway has also hosted a successful pilot project over the last three years to prescribe the opioid substitute Buvidal. Like methadone, Buvidal acts as a replacement for opioid drugs in treating addiction. But while methadone is taken every day, Buvidal is used once a week for the first three weeks and then once a month, making it easier for people who use drugs to lead a normal life.
The latest data, released by National Records Scotland earlier this month, shows 12 drug-related deaths in Dumfries and Galloway in 2023 compared to 37 the year before.
NHS D&G lit up the DGRI building purple on 31 August and D&G Council lit two of their buildings – English Street Council Offices, Dumfries and Castle of St John, Stranraer – in memory of those who lost their lives to drug use.
Further information on other websites and local drug and alcohol services that can help, along with where you can get a naloxone kit can be found on the Dumfries and Galloway Alcohol and Drug Partnership website at www.dgadp.co.uk
