heroin assisted treatment - search results

[…] in association with WIRED Your fortnightly magazine |jobs|news|views|research 27 June 2005 ENCOUNTER WITH ‘DR E’ A session with Alexander Shulgin DIAMORPHINE DESPAIR With a world glut of heroin why is there a UK shortage? A DAY WITH DAVE Support work through the eyes of a novice www.drinkanddrugs.net News Round-up Action needed to protect vulnerable […]

Heroin Assisted Treatment (HAT) is showing dramatic progress in transforming lives. DDN reports. Read the full article in DDN Magazine ‘Life was shit. I would rob Peter to pay Paul. I’d cry every day and was at rockbottom, living on people’s settees, doing drugs whenever I could.’ ‘Julie’, Middlesbrough, 2020 ‘Julie talks to clinical lead […]

[…] a result we had the endless revolving door of detox, relapse and all the health risks, aquisitive crime, BBVs and death that often accompany dependency on street heroin. David is right in stating that many users would prefer heroin rather than methadone, but I believe he draws the wrong conclusions from this. Supporting his […]

[…] than a decade ago, according to UNODC. Myanmar is the world’s second largest opium producer after Afghanistan, with the trade threatening stability and regional integration, according to  Southeast Asia opium survey 2014 – Lao PDR, Myanmar . Cultivation in Afghanistan also rose by 7 per cent last year meaning lower prices were now likely ( DDN, December b014, page 4). Report at www.unodc.org YOUNG SERVICE USERS  – NUMBERS FALL AGAIN THE NUMBER of young people being treated in specialist substance misuse services fell for the fourth year running, according to figures from Public Health England (PHE). Just over 19,000 young people were treated in b01b-13, down from more than b4,000 in b008-09. In more than 70 per cent of cases cannabis was the primary substance, and in b0 per cent of cases alcohol. The number presenting with  heroin as their primary substance was the lowest ever, at 160 people. ‘With the right support from local authorities, the NHS and other partners, specialist substance misuse services can continue to focus on what they do best: ensuring that young people who need  help get it quickly and that they receive appropriate, personalised support,’  said PHE.  News CQC CONSULTATION THE CARE QUALITY COMMISSION is consulting on its proposed changes to the way substance misuse services are regulated. The proposals aim to make sure that services are ‘safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led’ (DDN, October b014, page 4). The consultation is open until 19 March, with the new regime due to start from April. bonsultation link at www.cqc.org.uk  MOBILE DRUG TESTS THE FIRST MOBILE DRUb-TESTINb device has been granted type approval and is available for purchase by UK police forces. The […]

[…] fortnightly magazine | jobs |news |views |research 27 June 2005 ENCOUNTER WITH DR E A session with Alexander Shulgin DIAMORPHINE DESPAIR W ith a world glut of heroin why is there a UK shortage? A DAY WITH DAVE Support work through the eyes of a novice www.drinkanddrugs.net News Round-up Action needed to protect vulnerable youngpeople |Khat users seen as low priority  | NTA’s new advice for child-focused ser vices  | […]

[…] INFECTIONS  TOOLKITA new toolkit on monitoring infectious diseases among people who inject drugs has been launched by EMCDDA, including study methods and example questionnaires as well as a comprehensive overview of the key issues. The organisation has also published a guide to the civil society organisations engaged in drug policy advocacy in Europe. Drug-related infectious diseases and Drug policy advocacy organisations in Europe at www.emcdda.europa.eu NEWb IN BRIEF January 2014 |  drinkanddrugsnews | 5 www.drinkanddrugsnews.com News |  Round-up Just over b0,000 under-18s received help for drug and alcohol problems in b01b-13, according to figures from Public Health England (PHE), down more than 600 from the previous year.  More than b3,500 sought help for cannabis as their main problem drug, and more than 4,700 for alcohol, while ‘historic low’ figures for young people needing help for  heroin or cocaine – b75 and 245 respectively – were offset by increasing numbers having problems with amphetamines, mephedrone and other new psychoactive substances.  ‘Young people’s alcohol and drug use is generally less established than adults’, so they tend to respond quickly and positively to interventions,’ says  Substance misuse among young people in England 2012-13, with the average length of a treatment episode around five months.  ‘While the overall picture on young people’s substance misuse is fairly positive, cannabis and alcohol still present real challenges and services are also having to adapt to cope with the consequences of increased use of club drugs and newer substances,’ said PHE’s director of alcohol and drugs, Rosanna O’Connor. Meanwhile a report from Dr Foster found that people with a drug or alcohol problem accounted for almost 20 per cent of all emergency hospital admissions among the 40-44 age group. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), however, show that the proportion of adults who drank on at least five days of the previous week has fallen from 22 per cent to b4 per cent of men and from b3 per cent to 9 per cent of women, with the over-65s the group most likely to have drunk regularly. ‘People who drink frequently – every day or on most days of the week are just as likely as those who don’t drink as often to think they are […]

[…] INFECTIONS  TOOLKITA new toolkit on monitoring infectious diseases among people who inject drugs has been launched by EMCDDA, including study methods and example questionnaires as well as a comprehensive overview of the key issues. The organisation has also published a guide to the civil society organisations engaged in drug policy advocacy in Europe. Drug-related infectious diseases and Drug policy advocacy organisations in Europe at www.emcdda.europa.eu NEWb IN BRIEF January 2014 |  drinkanddrugsnews | 5 www.drinkanddrugsnews.com News |  Round-up Just over b0,000 under-18s received help for drug and alcohol problems in b01b-13, according to figures from Public Health England (PHE), down more than 600 from the previous year.  More than b3,500 sought help for cannabis as their main problem drug, and more than 4,700 for alcohol, while ‘historic low’ figures for young people needing help for  heroin or cocaine – b75 and 245 respectively – were offset by increasing numbers having problems with amphetamines, mephedrone and other new psychoactive substances.  ‘Young people’s alcohol and drug use is generally less established than adults’, so they tend to respond quickly and positively to interventions,’ says  Substance misuse among young people in England 2012-13, with the average length of a treatment episode around five months.  ‘While the overall picture on young people’s substance misuse is fairly positive, cannabis and alcohol still present real challenges and services are also having to adapt to cope with the consequences of increased use of club drugs and newer substances,’ said PHE’s director of alcohol and drugs, Rosanna O’Connor. Meanwhile a report from Dr Foster found that people with a drug or alcohol problem accounted for almost 20 per cent of all emergency hospital admissions among the 40-44 age group. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), however, show that the proportion of adults who drank on at least five days of the previous week has fallen from 22 per cent to b4 per cent of men and from b3 per cent to 9 per cent of women, with the over-65s the group most likely to have drunk regularly. ‘People who drink frequently – every day or on most days of the week are just as likely as those who don’t drink as often to think they are […]

[…] The figures are even higher  among Labour voters, with 76 per  cent believing that the government  isn’t doing enough to tvackle  addiction issues and 70v per cent  that the government is failing  to reduce drug-related harm.  Among those surveyed overall, 7  per cent reported having had an  addiction problem themselves, with  b0 and bb per cent respectively  reporting that they’d had a  friend or family member with a v problem. While less than a vfifth  believed that criminalisation of  people who used drvugs was the  right approach, there was little  support for decriminalisation of  most drugs. Although  45 per cent supported  the decriminalisation of  cannabis and 28 pevr cent  magic mushrooms, just  b7 per cent supported  decriminalising MDMA  and b5 per cent cocaine.  The figures for  heroin  and crack cocaine were  bb and b0 per cent  respectively. More than half  of respondents, however,  backed the introduction of  consumption rooms, with  just a quarter stating that  they were actively opposed.  This reflects the findings  of a separate poll of b,500  people carried outv by Redfield and  Wilton Strategies on behalf ovf the  APPG for Drug Policy Reform, which  found that 49 per cent supported  overdose prevention centres. The  poll also revealed that more than 60  per cent supported drug checking v facilities at festivals and 67 per  cent supported naloxone provision,  while the most popular outcome  for people found in possessionv  of small quantities of drugs was  education or treatment rather than  prosecution.  The Redfield and Wilson results  ‘fly in the face of conventional  […]

[…] London and Maudsley Hospital we provide clinical, medic4ally managed detoxification programmes for adults over 18 who require assisted withdrawal from addictive substances from any combination 4of alcohol, heroin, recreational drugs, prescription drugs, st4imulants such as co4caine and crack cocaine, solvents and cannabis. bocus12www.focus12.co.uk • 01284 701702 Bury St Edmunds, Detox Centre Focus12 is a […]

[…] use was falling. Who was/is consuming all this cannabis? We still don’t really know. Other drugs were showing a similar trend; we began to experience an ageing heroin population, and the use of other drugs such as MDMA, amphetamine and cocaine were not at the levels of the 1990s. Other drugs were apparently tailing […]

[…] new drug strategy. Harm reduction is an evidence-based response that protects people and ultimately saves lives – at a time when drug-related deaths are the highest on record. Heroin and morphine deaths rose by 109 per cent in England and Wales between 2012 and 2016, when the evidence is overwhelming that harm reduction initiatives can […]

[…] person who requested to change from methadone to Espranor, and is since fully engaged in group sessions and proud that they are able to no longer use heroin which they have put down to the change in medication. An outreach worker reports that people find Espranor less intrusive when doses are being supervised, and […]

[…] Needle exchange Up close in Glasgow www.drinkanddrugs.net News Roundup Round-up reports from Release Drugs University |Addaction gets brewery sponsorship for schools pack | Glasgow report claims ‘ordinary’ heroin users |JRF report getting drunk ‘positive experience’ for young 4 Cover story 24-hour drinking: Café culture or catastrophe? In a special focus on alcohol, we consider […]

[…] Needle exchange Up close in Glasgow www.drinkanddrugs.net News Roundup Round-up reports from Release Drugs University |Addaction gets brewery sponsorship for schools pack | Glasgow report claims ‘ordinary’ heroin users |JRF report getting drunk ‘positive experience’ for young 4 Cover story 24-hour drinking: Café culture or catastrophe? In a special focus on alcohol, we consider […]

[…] prison. POLICE AND PFCCS PFCCs have considerable discretion in what – if any – drug and alcohol services they commission, with approaches ranging from the recently discontinued heroin assisted treatment in Middlesbrough to calls to reschedule cannabis as a class A drug. LOCAL AUTHORITY PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSIONERS Commissioners are responsible for commissioning community drug and alcohol […]

[…]  Challenging the status quo   The law stands in the way of treatment for too many young drug users in Kyrgyzstan and Tanzania ‘When I started to use heroin I was only 18,’ Irena Yermolayeva told delegates. ‘There is a moment when all drug users want to quit, but in my country of Kyrgyzstan there […]

[…] pushing people out of treatment before they’re ready, as this risks them dying,’ he spelled out. We need to innovate, he said, and give proper consideration to heroin-assisted treatment, medically supervised consumption rooms, and new routes for administering naloxone. Better service integration could also make a significant difference. ‘Pulmonary (lung) health tends to be […]

[…] 2021, page 4). ‘We’ve got a perfect storm.’ Not only was Middlesbrough the most deprived local authority in England, it also had the country’s highest number of heroin users per head of population and high rates of drug-related deaths. The average age of patients at Foundations was 38, he said, ‘so a relatively young […]

[…] per cent will become physically addicted at the end of the third time… We now know that crack is… certainly the most addicting drug available in Europe. Heroin is not even in the same ballpark.’ Without immediate action, Britain would, he warned, undergo the US experience within two years. He was not alone. Addressing […]

Durham Constabulary is planning to become the first police force in England to offer heroin-assisted treatment to problem drug users. Under the proposals, people whose drug use had led to prolific offending would be able to follow a programme designed to ‘stabilise their addiction in a controlled environment’ and reduce their dependency until they […]

Scotland’s first heroin-assisted treatment service has been launched in Glasgow, the city council has announced. The Enhanced Drug Treatment Service (EDTS) will treat people with the most severe, long-term and complex problems with ‘pharmaceutical grade diamorphine’. The service is operated by the Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership (GCHSCP) and has been licensed by […]

[…] the ongoing development of care. This pathway to developing opioid dependence treatment may be divided into a series of stages, with defining characteristics: Initial problems related to heroin The 1950s saw increasing non-therapeutic opiate use, a trend which continued to grow throughout the 1960s. Early strategies to address dependence focused on prescribing opioid agonist […]

The quality of treatment for heroin users is being threatened by diminishing funds and ‘disruptive re-procurement processes’, according to a new report from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD). Treatment quality now varies significantly across England, says the document, and is being further compromised by ‘frequent re-procurement and shrinking resources’. The […]

[…] that says, ‘I won’t employ this ex-alcoholic because sooner or later he will start drinking again and give me major problems.’ Or, ‘I don’t want this ex- heroin addict living next to me because she’ll start using again and be a danger to my children.’ How do I know this as an employer or […]

[…] enforcement to tackle supply combined with ‘the largest increase in drug treatment funding for 15 years’. However, while money will go towards funding naloxone provision for ‘every heroin user in the country that needs it’ as well as ‘ending the postcode lottery’ for inpatient treatment, the £80m represents just half of the £160m estimated […]

[…] clearly defined goals. So hearing about Danny Ahmed’s experience with the diamorphine assisted treatment (DAT) programme in Middlesborough raised many uncomfortable questions. The programme, also known as heroin assisted treatment (HAT), had been celebrated as a highly successful intervention, but was being discontinued through lack of funding from the local authority. As the programme’s clinical lead […]

[…] and drug-related deaths in the UK continue to rise. I first met Darren in 1997. He was 17 years old and registered to ask for help with his heroin problem. He was also a charmer with a cheeky smile, but he looked unwell. He had been injecting for about six months and realised he couldn’t […]

Mark Moody, Change Grow Live CEO explains the decisions they have taken in relation to Medication Assisted Treatment during the coronavirus outbreak.

A pilot heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) programme is being launched in Middlesbrough, the local police and crime commissioner (PCC) has announced. The programme will concentrate on up to 15 of the most ‘at risk’ people with entrenched drug problems.  Participants will visit a clinic twice a day where diamorphine will be administered under supervision. The […]

[…] key part of addressing individual need is looking at prescribing options, Liddell stresses – ‘matching the substance to the individual’ – and the facility aims to offer heroin-assisted treatment. Is he confident it will happen? ‘I think the heroin-assisted treatment part is probably easier to deliver in terms of legality issues and so on […]

[…] the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board, with a community engagement process to begin once a site has been chosen. The proposed facility would also offer heroin-assisted treatment alongside health and social care advice, peer support and treatment referrals. The draft business case drawn up last year argued that the combined consumption room […]

[…] constable of South Wales Police, has highlighted the issue in recent weeks and recognised the need to explore alternative intervention methods such as safe consumption rooms and heroin-assisted treatment. I echo this sentiment and am in no doubt that radical action is needed across Wales. People must have access to basic treatment options quickly […]

[…] of these countries have a lower level of contact with drug treatment services than either Sweden, known for its zero tolerance drug policies, or the UK, where heroin and cocaine attract the highest criminal justice penalty.  On the basis of these data it would appear that there is no simple association between restrictive drug […]

[…] of these countries have a lower level of contact with drug treatment services than either Sweden, known for its zero tolerance drug policies, or the UK, where heroin and cocaine attract the highest criminal justice penalty. On the basis of these data it would appear that there is no simple association between restrictive drug […]

[…] called on the government to take action, to scale up funding for drug treatment, to support overdose prevention sites, to fund drug checking facilities, and to expand heroin assisted treatment,’ said executive director Niamh Eastwood. ‘Each year they have ignored us.’ ‘Drug-related deaths are preventable deaths,’ added Turning Point’s director for public health and substance misuse, […]

[…] Unfortunately, this is only one of many types of tried and tested harm reduction measures that have been implemented by nations more progressive than ours – including heroin assisted treatment, drug consumption rooms (overdose prevention sites/supervised injecting facilities) or medical safe-supply of drugs, including prescribed diamorphine – which are not even mentioned in the new strategy. […]

[…] commissioner (PCC) to implement radical measures to cut drug-related death and crime rates – in this case West Midlands PCC David Jamieson and his plans for prescribed heroin, diverting people from the courts into treatment, and ‘considering the benefits’ of consumption rooms. ‘Despite the good work being done by many, collectively our approach to […]

[…] to see male patients was though consultations with those who had drink and drug problems. ‘At that time the psychiatric addiction services were struggling to find their way and the heroin was flooding in, and by the ’80s the waiting lists for treatment by the psychiatrists were rapidly building up,’ she says. ‘People were falling out of their care […]

[…] she first began experiencing chronic pain. Despite this, she didn’t receive a formal diagnosis until the age of 15, and by this point she was already using heroin to manage the condition. Using illicit opiates on top of her prescribed medication soon became untenable, and Sarah entered drug treatment at the age of 19. […]

[…] and the poor are staying poor.’ West Africa had become a drug trafficking hub, and although less than 0.5 per cent of Africans had reported use of heroin or cocaine, there was increasing availability of both, along with amphetamine-type substances, he stated. There were also significant levels of injecting reported in Kenya, Mauritius, South […]

[…] support family members, and the most moving presentation of the day from Pat Hudson. Pat told the story of her son Kevin, who tragically died of a heroin overdose in 2017. ‘Kevin was a sensible boy,’ she said. ‘If there was an overdose prevention centre in the town, I believe he would have used […]

[…] they ‘must not talk about naloxone as we are not a campaigning organisation’. Many organisations are still silent about issues such as drug consumption rooms (DCRs) and heroin-assisted therapy, perhaps taking their lead from the government’s drug strategy, which (while acknowledging that we should protect society’s most vulnerable) only fleetingly mentions harm reduction and […]

The Middlesbrough heroin assisted treatment (HAT) pilot launched last year (DDN, November 2019, page 5) has had a ‘dramatic impact’, according to the programme’s clinical team lead Daniel Ahmed. Clinical team lead Daniel Ahmed. Teesside University has now been given a £60,000 grant to independently evaluate the scheme and its results.  The HAT pilot, the UK’s […]

[…] of treatment is essential to prevent more increases in opioid-related deaths, says a new report from the ACMD. The large cohort of people who have been using heroin since the 1980s and ‘90s are ‘increasingly vulnerable’ as they age, stresses Reducing opioid-related deaths in the UK,with fatalities increasing by almost 60 per cent in […]

Bristol City Council has issued a safety warning after ‘an unusually high number of serious, heroin-related health incidents’. Six people have died and ‘many more’ have needed emergency care, it states, with early indications that the incidents relate to a ‘dangerous batch of heroin’ in circulation. ‘This alert is being issued because there is […]

[…] needs to be individually tailored, and it is important that there is a range of different types of support available, including mutual aid groups and, where appropriate, heroin-assisted treatment. The criminal justice system can help this, for example by diverting drug-dependent offenders into the treatment system and working with communities to support their reintegration. […]

[…] and used. Next Durham’s chief constable, Mike Barton, outlined his views on how similar problems in Durham could and should be treated, and made particular reference to heroin assisted treatment (HAT) for those who have not benefited from traditional OST medications. His presence attracted a number of high-ranking officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland […]

[…] campaign. In 2012 it was estimated that 95,000 people across England and Wales had illicitly used opiates in the past year. Approximately 47,000 of them had taken heroin (Home Office, 2013), which remains one of the most frequently listed drugs by the majority of patients seeking drug dependency treatment (NTA, 2013). As such, the […]

[…] to work with policy makers to not criminalise people who use drugs and implement all evidence-based harm reduction measures to reduce drug deaths including consumption rooms and heroin assisted treatment for those who need it. We call on the council to: Recognise the devastating impact of lack of funding to drug and alcohol services since the […]

[…] in order to save money, although most physicians have little education in its prescribing. Concurrently some people who have become dependent on prescription opioids are turning to heroin, which is becoming increasingly available in US. There has been much in the press about this but the increase in deaths is only partially related to […]

[…] provide strong evidence on harm reduction that should pave the way for legalisation. Evidence would include detail and working practice – such as in Switzerland – on heroin assisted treatment (HAT) and drug consumption rooms (DCRs). While evidence was being collated and debated there was an urgent need to engage now with people about their drug […]

[…] Collective Voice head Paul Hayes tells the conference. ‘These stories need to be heard.’ MARCH Durham Constabulary takes a bold step by announcing its intention to offer heroin-assisted treatment to problem drug users, while the Liberal Democrats call for possession of drugs for personal use to be decriminalised as a way of easing the […]

[…] worse,  and  the  ‘evil  dealers’  who  sell  them.  Since  cannabis  can unpredictably  send  you  mad  for  life,  I  can’t  see  why  it  is  any  less serious  than  heroin  or  cocaine.  But  if  the  authorities  have  been ‘freed up’, they haven’t taken much advantage of their freedom. Peter Hitchens,  Mail on Sunday, 3 September Here is just one small emblem of the ignorance or callousness of current  policy  making.  Yesterday’s  public  accounts  committee report warns of chaos in the new universal credit for families. In the  fantasy  realm  of  this  policy,  […]

[…] move provoked by an outbreak of HIV in people who injected drugs. A formal health needs assessment by public health colleagues had resulted in recommendations for a heroin-assisted treatment service (HAT) and a SIF. Glasgow’s health and social care partnership – which included police and people with lived experience of using drugs in public […]

[…] been in treatment for problematic drug use with us for a number of years. John had been titrated up to 90mls of methadone before he stopped injecting heroin and crack – a big step forward. He had stayed on that dose for more than a year and had engaged with a local peer support […]

[…] 2021 dawned, the government announced an £80m investment in drug treatment in England. Targeted at reducing crime, its ‘system-wide approach’ would include funding naloxone provision for ‘every heroin user in the country that needs it’. Partnerships with police teams and custody suites were encouraging police officers to carry kits.  Scotland swiftly followed with a […]

[…] crisis in the UK, says a report from Cranstoun. The document has been published in response to the increasing number of accounts of parts of the UK’s heroin supply being contaminating by highly potent nitazenes.  Among the report’s other recommendations are the scaling up of properly funded drug checking services and testing kits, increasing […]

[…] going to reach elimination,’ he said. There was rousing applause for Daniel Ahmed, clinical partner at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, as he spoke about the heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) they are now providing in Middlesbrough (DDN, November 2019, page 5). He discussed the complex health needs of the ageing cohort in treatment services […]

[…] Czech Republic, Denmark, Japan, New Zealand, Portugal, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the US and Uruguay, looking at issues including decriminalisation of possession for personal use, consumption rooms, heroin-assisted treatment, drug courts and supply-side regulation of cannabis. ‘Without exception, every country we considered sees drug use as undesirable,’ says the document, and while all were […]

[…] Japan, New Zealand, Portugal, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the US and Uruguay, looking at a range of issues including decriminalisation of possession for personal use, consumption rooms, heroin-assisted treatment, drug courts and supply-side regulation of cannabis.  ‘Without exception, every country we considered sees drug use as undesirable,’ says the document, and while all were […]