Turning Point’s substance use services around the country ran awareness events for International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) on Monday, 31 August.
International Overdose Awareness Day brings a global community together to take action on overdose – the theme for this year was 25 Years On. Still Needed. For 25 years the day has brought people together to remember those lost to overdose and to take action to save lives.
Overdose continues to affect every community – yet it can be prevented by reducing risk and keeping people safe. By speaking openly, learning from one another, and treating each other with care and respect, the aim is to build a world where fewer lives are lost.
Turning Point teams hosted a number of informative and engaging events aimed at promoting the support available to residents, reducing stigma, and encouraging healthier life choices. These included pop-up sessions in community settings to share harm reduction advice, raise awareness of overdose, and highlight the Click and Deliver naloxone service to members of the public.
Turning Point services run the Click & Deliver programme to enable naloxone kits to be delivered to people at a location of their choice, so that the fast-acting medication can be used whenever needed to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Nathan, a recovery worker at Lincolnshire Recovery Partnership, which is led by Turning Point in partnership with Double Impact and Framework, has used naloxone six times and stresses that training and access to naloxone should be widespread.
Recalling the first time he administered naloxone, he said there was no time to think and that his training ‘simply took over’: The moment I found the person, my training just kicked in straight away. I gave him two injections, and after a bit, he came around,’ he said.
‘It wasn’t scary until after the adrenaline calmed down – that’s when you start thinking back over everything, wondering if you did it all right. But it worked. I remembered everything from my training and a life was saved. If I hadn’t had naloxone with me, the outcome would have been completely different. That’s exactly why training and access is so important.’
As part of International Overdose Awareness Day, local councils were able to take part in activities such as overdose awareness and naloxone training. Turning Point staff took part in Wear it Purple – the campaign’s colour – to stand in solidarity with people they may have lost to an overdose, those who have experienced one, and families and friends who have suffered the impact.
Teams shared purple ribbons, badges, and ‘I am naloxone trained’ stickers with staff, clients, partners, friends and family members, and handed out resources on overdose risks alongside naloxone kits. Services had remembrance trees and books where staff, clients, partners, friends and family members were able to leave a message in memory of a loved one impacted by overdose. Some of the service buildings – such as in Leicester and the Wakefield Exchange – were lit purple as a tribute to the lives lost and as a call to action.
‘International Overdose Awareness Day gives us a great opportunity to promote the excellent work carried out in Leicester to reduce and prevent deaths from overdose,’ said Mary Hall, Consultant in Public Health at Leicester City Council. She said the training offered by Turning Point on using and giving naloxone was ‘a great example of our longstanding commitment to reducing such preventable deaths… we look forward to a similarly sustained and ongoing approach in the future.’
Jennifer Peckett is operations manager at Turning Point’s Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea service. ‘We know that overdose is preventable and that harm reduction saves lives,’ she said. ‘International Overdose Awareness Day provides an opportunity to increase understanding, challenge stigma and encourage people to access support.
‘At Turning Point, we are committed to providing accessible, confidential and person-centered support. Our teams work with individuals to understand their circumstances, reduce risk and develop practical strategies that promote safety and wellbeing.
‘No matter where someone is on their journey, we want them to know that help is available, recovery is possible, and it is never too early or too late to seek support.’
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